Laura Haynori: Hero of the Oblivion Crisis
by XxAprilyne
Summary: Laura Haynori ran away from home when she was almost sixteen and became a thief to survive. Many years later, she gets caught, and then witnesses Emperor Uriel Septim's murder, being told she is the one who has to find Uriel's last heir and stop the Oblivion Crisis. But even with help from The Blades, a former assassin and Martin Septim, Laura still has her doubts. Slightly AUish.
1. Prologue

**Well, damn. I'm returning to my roots after all this time. Fanfiction was what got me to start writing. Oblivion got me to start imagining. :) Since I've been playing this game again for the first time in two years or so, I decided to start anew with a new OC. Two of them, actually. **

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own The Elder Scrolls series. Or anything in this story except my original characters. This disclaimer applies to my whole story because I'm too damn lazy to put it at the start of ever chapter.**

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**Prologue:**  
Emperor Uriel Septim was going to die.

He _knew _he was going to die.

He knew he was going to die months before tonight actually came, because he had seen everything in his dreams.

His death by the hands of the assassins, the two girls who tried to save him, his last remaining son. He saw more, but what else he saw was a bright gold blur. He then started writing a note. He knew someone would find it after his death.

_I was born 87 years ago. For 65 years I've ruled as Tamriel's Emperor. But for all these years I have never been the ruler of my own dreams. I have seen the Gates of Oblivion, beyond which no waking eye may see. Behold, in Darkness a Doom sweeps the land. This is the 27th of Last Seed; the Year of Akatosh 433. _  
_These are the closing days of the 3rd Era, and the final hours of my life._

The door to his chambers suddenly burst open.

Captain Renault was one of Uriel's best Blades, and she had been trying to get him to leave for a good ten minutes now.  
"Sire, we must get going now," Renault told him with urgency in her voice.

Uriel still said nothing.

"Sire?"

"Yes, I'm coming," Uriel finally answered, finally leaving the room with Renault.

Assassins had attacked the palace, leaving everyone confused.

Everyone except Uriel himself, that is. He had a very good idea as to what was going to happen to him; he knew his fate. He knew his fate would be the cause of doom across the Empire.

But they had hope.

And hope was in the prison cell.


	2. Chapter one: Beginnings

**The first chapter really isn't canon to the game; it's background surrounding Laura. Enjoy.**

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**Chapter one: Beginnings.**

My life before used to be really different. Before everyone liked me for being Laura Haynori and saving the empire from evil, I was the weird child in a very weird Imperial family in Anvil.  
My father was a sailor. I had no idea what he liked so much about the sea, but it brought in a considerable amount of gold for my very demanding mother, who insisted on having only the best for me and my sister.  
My younger sister, Fennia, although she lived to be considerably wealthier than the other residents of Anvil, wasn't really spoiled. I was the spoiled one. I was the one who wanted a larger bedroom, a larger house, a better place to play. And when I didn't get my way, I ran all over Anvil. More than once I scarred my mother, and when I was ten, I ran out the city gates, and got lost.  
My father told me off when he got back to Cyrodiil, of course. And while he was home that week, he took me and Fennia for a walk around the city. I even saw Countess Umbranox! Fennia waved to the Countess and the Countess smiled back at us.  
But the most memorable thing I remembered about that day was that I saw members of the Fighter's Guild training outside the building. One was a young Redguard, the other was a young Orc. Both were male. I went up to them and said, "excuse me, sirs, but can I join the Fighter's Guild?"  
The two laughed.  
"What say you, Bugdul?" The Redguard asked the Orc.  
"Vilena might take her on in a few years, Azzan," Bugdul replied.  
"You need to train hard, Laura," my father reminded me.  
"Of course, Father," I said.  
When my mother learnt about what I wanted, she argued with father about it.  
"It's not appropriate, Lucret! Laura is a young lady," my mother insisted, placing considerable emphasis on the last two words. My mother grew up in Skingrad and was from a fairly noble family with slightly old-fashioned view on how young Imperial females should be raised. My father was too, of course, but being away at sea all the time changed his views considerably; females could be just as able fighters as males, regardless of race.  
"'Young lady?' What if Laura doesn't want to be a lady, Sabrinda?" My father demanded.  
"You know, there are so many things I could do to you if you did as I asked..."  
"Forget it, Sabrinda," my father snapped, "sex will not change my mind. You did not marry a fool."

For my eleventh birthday, I received a basket of special chocolates from my sister, a gold locket from my mother, and a shortsword from my father, much to my mother's disapproval. When my father got back from being overseas, he taught me how to hold it, how to block without a shield, how to swing, and how to do sneak attacks. He also built a fake person for me to train with while he was away.  
Many residents looked over into our backgarden and watched me training, whether it be with awe or disgust. One day, a Nord female from the Fighter's guild told my mother that I should get private lessons.  
"She shows promise, ma'am," the woman told my mother, "it'd be such a shame to let it go to waste."  
"I shall discuss it with my husband," my mother replied.  
Before she could, however, it had been revealed that my father had an accident while in Skyrim. Now he was dead. And was to be buried.

My mother cried for the funeral, and then for two weeks after. Then, she became her old self again.  
Me and Fennia, on the other hand, were deeply affected. I was twelve, Fennia was ten, and we couldn't sleep apart for almost a month. Then, I remembered that my father wanted me to be strong; he wanted me to get better. So I told my sister the same thing.  
And we moved on, too.

Two months later, my mother started dating a Nord named Hulfgar. Only she tried her best to keep it from me and my sister. But I wasn't stupid, and neither was Fennia. We both heard the loud screams coming from our mother's bedroom every night, and we both knew what happened between a man and a woman.  
In spring, we met Hulfgar's daughter, Haema. She was just two months younger than me, but other than that, she was the same age as me.  
And By the Nine, I despised her. She was a spoiled, rich brat who was more demanding than my mother. She'd make my mother a perfect daughter, and my mother was sure to like Haema's company talking about dresses and fancy dinners more than my company.  
As summer came to a close, my mother announced her engagement and not too long after that, she and Hulfgar married in the church of Dibella.  
Haema taunted me continuessly for wanting to be an adventurer.  
"Why are you trying so hard to be something you?re not?" She asked, "it's not in your blood to be like this."  
"Being a spineless lady is not in your blood, either, if you want to think that way," I retorted. "Does that stop you? Clearly not."  
I regretted saying that instantly. If there was one violent thing Haema knew how to do, it was how to strike people very hard across the face.

When Fennia turned twelve, she started doing odd jobs around the Anvil Mage's Guild for Carahill - like cleaning - for a small amount of gold. But that's not the reason she signed up to do it.  
Fennia wanted to learn more about alchemy. She already knew quite a bit about alchemy and made a potion of fatigue for our mother when she was feeling weak. But she wanted to learn more.  
At the end of her first week, Fennia already knew how to make a weak potion of health, and I couldn't be more proud of her.  
But Fennia's days of alchemy soon came to an end.  
One day, I was just outside the city shooting arrows when Francine, a Breton friend of mine, came running up to me.  
"Laura, you need to go home," she gasped.  
"What is it?" I demanded.  
"It's Fennia...she's had an accident at the guild," Francine finished.  
I ran back to Anvil as soon as I could.  
Fennia was supposed to drink a fatigue potion the potions master had given her, but instead picked up a very strong poison intended to drain one's health.  
Until a cure could be found that we could afford, Fennia was to be confined to bed. I visited her every day that I could, telling her stories. Fennia never once complained about her condition, and I wish she had now because she might have gotten the attention she needed.  
What irked me was that my mother and Haema still spent millions of Septims we didn't even have on fancy dresses and dinner parties, but we couldn't afford a potion for my little sister to get better. I brought this up to Hulfgar and he snapped at me to go hunting rats.

My sister died in her sleep before she turned thirteen.  
I didn't even get to say goodbye.  
The day Fennia died, I was so confused about how I felt. I wanted to cry my eyes out over her death, but I also wanted to be angry at my mother, Hulfgar, Haema and the Nine for taking her from me.  
"Laura, I know you loved Fennia," my mother said, "but you shouldn't be so wrapped up in it."  
"By the Nine, Mother! What the hell is wrong with you?" I demanded. "She was your daughter, and you put her health on the line for a few damned dresses!"  
My mother took a step backwards.  
"Laura..."  
"I will never forgive you for that," I scowled. Then, I started swearing at my mother, swearing even more violently than all the sailors at Fo'cel's ever did.  
"Laura, what can I do to get you to forgive me?" My mother pleaded. I gave her a look of deep disgust.  
"You can't do anything," I snapped. "Because I won't forgive you.

A week later, my mother and Hulfgar started packing up the house.  
"What are you doing?" I asked my mother when I got home.  
"We're moving to Kvatch for awhile," Hulfgar grunted before my mother could say anything. "At least until we eventually move to Skyrim."  
"I just can't bear the memories of Fennia," my mother said.  
They truly were insane.  
"I'm not going," I said instantly.  
"What?" My mother demanded.  
"I said, I'm not going," I repeated. "Not going to Kvatch, and certianly not to Skyrim."  
"Don't give your mother that tone," Hulfgar boomed.  
"I HAVE EVERY DAMNED RIGHT; TALOS KNOWS I HAVE EVERY DAMN RIGHT!" I screamed. "How dare you try to take even more away from me-"  
"Laura," my mother said, "I am not trying to upset you-"  
"Bull," I answered back. "That is a lie and you know it. No need to send me to my room, Hulfgar," I said, turning to my stepfather, "I was just leaving."  
I strutted upstairs heading to my room, but stopped at Haema's bedroom door. I heard the sound of something bang against her bedroom wall, the sound of the mattress moving and the sound that gave away my suspicions. The screams of ecstasy.  
Immediately, I opened the door and saw my stepsister and a young Redguard in her bed.  
"Haven't you heard of knocking?" The Redguard demanded.  
"Spare it," I snapped. "I'm leaving tonight and a word of this to either my mother or Hulfgar and both your asses will be handed to you."

The night I left, I threw my street clothing and elegant dresses to one side, and packed my weapons, potions, a small amount of food, gold and valuables to hock later. Then, when I was sure everyone was asleep, wrote a note to leave on the living room table. But when I went downstairs, my mother was already there waiting for me.  
"So, you've decided to leave me," my mother told me. "I thought that losing one daughter was enough, but losing two...by the Nine, what did I do to deserve this?"  
"Guess," I snapped, then fiercely handed my mother the note. "You may as well read the damn thing."  
"You're a minor," my mother reminded me. "You still need to be under the care of an adult."  
"I'll be sixteen next week," I returned, "by the time the guards find me, it'll be too late to give a damn."  
My mother crossed her arms and pursed her lips together.  
"Fine, go," my mother snapped. "Go be the fantastic warrior woman you always want to be. But not without the locket I gave you."  
"What's so special about it?" I asked you.  
"I...had it enchanted," my mother confessed. "It's not much, but I knew if one day something happened, this might protect you, even if I could not."  
I nodded.  
"It fortifies health," my mother continued. "Remember when you sprained your arm? You could have broken it had it not been for that locket."  
"Thank you, mother," I said.  
"Take care," my mother replied.

My main goal was to go to the Imperial City, a place I had never been before. In fact, my mother hated the Imperial City. She insisted it was overrun with crime and nobility did not belong there unless they were invited to the palace (and we never were) so I never got to go. Until now.  
It took me four days to arrive, after stopping at inns and hotels every night. Then, I arrived in the Talos Plaza District.  
At first, I had enough money to keep me going. But then, I was running short.  
There were no jobs that would hire me. Absolutely none. So I was left with no other option but to steal.  
The first two attempts at pickpocketing worked out. The third try I ended up getting caught, probably because I tried to steal from a member of the Imperial Guard who was off duty.  
"Stop right there, Criminal Scum," He said slowly. My heart started skipping beats in fear. I had never been arrested before in my life and the thought of being sent to prison scarred me. "I'll have you arrested for that."  
"It was twenty measly gold pieces!" I fired back. "Are you seriously going to arrest me for taking twenty gold pieces?"  
"Sorry, but I really don't have a choice," the guard said. Then he carted me off to the Imperial Prison. I was frightened, but tried not to let it show too much.  
Hieronymus Lex, captain of the guard, searched me before taking twenty gold pieces from my bag.  
"Don't steal again, or you will regret it," Lex told me, his voice full of anger. "You don't want to end up going down the same path as the Grey Fox, do you?"  
I snorted. "The Grey Fox doesn't exist. Don't be so goddamn stupid."  
"Oh, he does, young lady," Lex replied. "I've seen the thieving bastard with my very own eyes. And it's my duty to make sure he gets put behind the bars of this very prison.  
"Keep in line, and make sure this never happens again," Lex concluded, giving me my possetions back. When I left the building, I  
laughed like a maniac on the way back. Grey Fox? Seriously? Even if the Thieves Guild existed, it was very unlikely they had a leader like The Grey Fox. On the way, I heard that even the Imperial Guards thought Lex was insane for trying to catch a myth.  
But on the way back, a Dumner stopped me in my tracks. Myvryna Arano.  
She invited me into the thieves? guild, and told me about a meeting in the Garden of Dareloth at the Waterfront at Midnight. From what I had heard, the Waterfront was a terrible neighborhood.  
"If you?re a member of our guild, the Waterfront is truly haven," Myvryna told me. "The Grey Fox protects his own."  
On the one hand, the whole thing seemed sketchy, but on the other, if the Thieves Guild actually existed, it may be my only way to survive in this city.

I passed my initiation into the guild with flying colors.  
And my nights were filled with dangerous thievery, selling stolen goods, some fighting, and eventually sex after everything else.  
Even someone like me needed some other kind of fun besides stealing around the city and adventuring. Although I was careful not to fall in love with anyone who took me to bed, it was always with someone I trusted, the first time with a fellow guild member in an alley in the city Market District. The first few times having sex were awkward, but eventually it turned into another form of fun for me. Though I was far from sex crazed. The main focus was stealing so I could stay alive.  
Though one night, I had plans.  
Me and two friends intended on going together to steal some special Jewelery from Julia Felwyn's house in the Elven Gardens district, and we were going to celebrate with Methredhel in Dareloth's Garden with some drinks.  
My two friends were Hlavesa Marend, a young Dumner female who had just joined the guild fairly recently, and El-Leese, an Argonian female who had more experience than either of us.  
The Elven Gardens District had very tight security late at night. The only place to have higher security was the Palace District.  
"Now listen, girls," El-Leese began, "we get, we get out. The Guards are armed in this district and we really don't want to take big risks. Understood?"  
Hlavesa and I nodded before we set off for the Felwyn's.  
Being the shortest, Hlavesa snuck in, unlocked the door, and let me and El-Leese in. Then, we searched for any sign of the jewelry.  
The jewelry box upstairs was filled with rings, necklaces, and all kinds of gems.  
Then, I found the things we were looking for.  
Then-  
"GUARDS!"  
A shrill cry from the other side of the house caused me to drop the box on my foot in surprise. Resisting the urge to cry out in pain, I ran out the room.  
But downstairs, my two friends were put under arrest.  
"Well, well, well, we meet again," a familiar voice said to me mockingly, "I thought I told you what would happen should I find you stealing again, did I not?"  
Lex.  
I gulped.  
Obviously there would be no celebration in Dareloth tonight.


	3. Chapter two: Assassins

**It's been awhile...since I updated. You see, I've sort of been grounded. But I've been writing so...the whole story's been completed and I have plans for a spin off and sequel.**

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**Chapter two: Assassins.**

Lex, being the irritatingly paranoid bastard that he was, commanded I be moved to a cell near the back of the prison for two weeks. There was a Dunmer across from me named Valen Dreth who thought it fun to yell insults at me every five minutes. Most of the time I spent lying on my bedroll, plotting my escape.

One day, I gained a cellmate.

A young Dunmer female with dark hair, light blue skin, red eyes and an attractive figure underneath the baggy prison clothes was dragged into the cell.

"So you're going to leave me with a pickpocket from the Waterfront?" she demanded. "Where are your priorities?"

"I just have orders," the guard replied, now unlocking my cell door. The elf snorted as the guard unlocked her handcuffs and practically threw her in.

The elf sighed.

"Well, damn. Looks like I'm screwed," she said. "And so are you, kid. Locking up a teenager for theft? I never thought Lex would stoop down that low."

"I'm actually twenty one," I replied.

"Really?" The elf asked, surprised. "Never would have guessed we were the same age."

The elf looked around the cell for a moment.

"Name's Eriama Therayn," she said all of a sudden. "We may as well get acquainted if we're going to be stuck in the same cell."

"I'm Laura Haynori," I replied.

"I must surely be dead, and in the halls of Azura to look upon such a vision..." we heard someone say.

Eriama turned around and saw Valen Dreth gawking at us through his cell. Mostly gawking at Erirama.

"You are so beautiful, my dear Dunmer maiden..." he continued. "One of the guards owes me a favor, you know. I could get us put in the same cell. Would you like that? You should have some fun before the end," he continued.

"You can forget it happening, you worthless sack of ogre dung," Eriama answered coldly. "I'm not interested in anything of the sort from you."

Dreth continued to talk under his breath, finally leaving us alone in peace. Until...

"Yeah, you heard me. No matter what the law says. No matter what they told you. You're going to die in here! You're going to die!" He yelled.

"He's insane," I told her. "Try not to worry too much."

"In fact, let's ignore him from now on," the elf said at once.

We then heard the sound of a door swing open and footsteps. I assumed it was a guard with food, but I was wrong on multiple accounts.

"...Baurus! Lock that door behind us!" a voice hissed. We then heard the doors close again.

There was lots of chatter amongst the people who came into the prison. And something about murder was brought up.

And then we saw three guards who weren't wearing the armour of normal members of the Imperial Guard. This lead me to think they were, in fact, not members of the Imperial Guard.

"What are these prisoners doing here?" The female guard demanded, "this cell was supposed to be off limits!"

"Usual mix up with the watch perhaps, Captain?" One suggested.

"Never mind," the captain snapped. "Get that gate open."

What exactly was going on?

"Stand back, prisoner. We won't hesitate to kill you if you get in our way," the captain - those name was later revealed to be Renault - commanded.

I stepped back, as did the elf who shared my cell. We watched as the three guards walked in and there was someone else, too.

Emperor Uriel Septim the Seventh was in my prison cell.

What could have any of us done to deserve having the Emperor of all people, lecture us? All I did was try to steal some jewelry. But with that being said I had no idea exactly what Eriama had done.

"You..." he began.

"Please don't execute me," I began.

One of the guards - Glenroy, I think his name was - snorted.

"I've seen you," the emperor continued, looking at me. "Both of you, actually."

"No offense, your highness," Eriama began, "but I highly doubt you've seen me around."

The emperor moved closer to me and my cellmate, much to his guard's dismay.

"Let me see your face..." he told me. I was too much in shock to do anything but listen.

"You are the ones from my dreams...then the stars were right, and this is the day. Gods give me strength."

"Er, your highness," Eriama began, "hate to be rude and all, but would it be too much to ask if I could say this?"

"Go ahead," the emperor replied.

"Just what the hell is going on here?" Eriama demanded.

"Assassins attacked my sons, and I'm next," Uriel replied. "My Blades are leading me out of the city along a secret escape route. By chance, the entrance to that escape route leads through your cell."

Although I already knew the answer to this question, I decided to ask the Emperor himself.

"Do you know why I'm in jail?" I asked him.

Renault coughed, not bothering to hide her impatience.

"Perhaps the Gods have placed you here so that we may meet," he replied.

He doesn't know.

"As for what you have done...it does not matter. That is not what you will be remembered for," he continued.

Eriama snorted before mumbling something about Sithis under her breath.

"Sire, we need to get going," Glenroy snapped. Then he pulled a lever, revealing a secret passage. I cursed myself for not finding it sooner.

"You will find your own path," Uriel concluded. "Take care... there will be blood and death before the end."

He and his blades walked in the passage. The third Blade hadn't spoken up until now, but he said, "it's your lucky day, girls. You can find a way to get out but don't-"

"BAURUS!"

"-follow us" Baurus finished. Then, the young Redguard ran into the secret passage, leaving me and my elf companion well confused.

"I think we know how this'll end, Laura," Eriama began, "we obviously have to follow them out."

"Yeah," I said, "let's get out of here."

* * *

The gate we found - and suspected Uriel and his blades of going through - was locked. We were trapped.

At least until rats burst out of the wall. We killed them, then set off through the hole in the wall, that lead into a cave like area. Complete with chests containing supplies.

I opened a chest to find armour and on another body there was more armour.

"Put it on," Eriama told me, "not only will it protect us from any more wretched creatures in these catacombs, you look freezing. And those prison clothes will hardly warm you."

Reluctantly, I took off the only clothing keeping me from the freezing wind and changed. Eriama was right; the leather was much warmer.

We grabbed the weapons we could find. I found a sword. I was all too familiar with the art of blade, and especially familiar with killing rats. Eriama, on the other hand, was in favour of bow and arrow.

"So they never know it's coming," she told me.

We killed rats, a zombie and a goblin tribe before we eventually made our way into the Imperial Subterranean.

With a not so warm welcome.

There were people in red and silver armour trying to attack the Emperor and his Blades. And I killed one. But Glenroy wasn't pleased to see us.

"Dammit, it's those prisoners again! Kill them, they might be working with the assassins." He said.

"Why would I want to work with them?" I demanded.

"Y'know, even the Dark Brotherhood draws the line at attacking the Emperor," Eriama told me.

"No," Uriel began. "These girls aren't with them. They can help us. They must help us."

"As you wish, sire," Glenroy said reluctantly.

We began walking along with the emperor and his remaining blades.

"Here," Baurus said to me, "if you're coming with us, you may as well make yourself useful. Take this torch."

"Whatever you say," I replied, taking the torch Baurus was giving to me. The Blades went up ahead and the Emperor pulled us aside.

"They cannot understand why I trust you," Uriel began, "they've not seen what I've seen. How can I explain?"

Before I could reply, Uriel continued.

"Listen. You know the Nine? How They guide our fates with an invisible hand?" He asked.

My mother was a firm believer in the Nine, and so was my sister. My father and I were different. When my mother and sister went the Chapel, I stayed home. I disliked religion and still do to this day.

The existence of the Nine as a whole? I didn't like to think about it.

"I don't know," I said, "I really don't think about it."

"I've served the Nine all my days, and I chart my course by the cycles of the heavens," Uriel told me. "The skies are marked with numberless sparks, each a fire, and every one a sign. I know these stars well, and I wonder... which sign marked your birth?"

"The Shadow," I replied.

"The Mage," Eriama said.

"The signs I read show the end of my path. My death, a necessary end, will come when it will come," Uriel said.

"Yeah, well what about us?" Eriama asked.

"Your stars are not mine," the emperor replied, before going into a brief explanation about our birth signs and his death.

"Aren't you afraid to die?" I asked him.

"No trophies of my triumphs precede me," Uriel replied. "But I have lived well, and my ghost shall rest easy. Men are but flesh and blood. They know their doom, but not the hour. In this I am blessed to see the hour of my death... To face my apportioned fate, then fall."

Then, we began walking again.

"A simple yes or no would have sufficed," Eriama muttered.

All of a sudden there were more assassins waiting to attack. Glenroy, Baurus and Eriama ran towards them, leaving me to protect the emperor.

"I can go no further," he said to me after the other three left us behind."You alone must stand against the Prince of Destruction and his mortal servants. He must not have the Amulet of Kings!" He almost shouted.

_Prince of Destruction? Amulet of Kings?_ My mind began to spin.

"But, sire..."

"Take the Amulet. Give it to Jauffre. He alone knows where to find my last son," Uriel said.

I began to talk, but before I could say anything, an assassin came in and struck Uriel down. A fireball spell hit the killer in the chest. Eriama was standing in the doorway as I sat, crying over the Emperor's dying body.

"Uriel..." I began.

Uriel began coughing up blood, but managed to take off the amulet that was around his neck and hold it out to me. I took it.

"...find him," he coughed, "and close shut the jaws of Oblivion."

Then he suddenly stopped breathing.

* * *

Baurus rushed into the room. I panicked. The blood on my hands and on the floor didn't exactly help my case, either.

"The Amulet!" He cried. "Where is the Amulet? It's not on the emperor's body."

"He gave it to me," I said detatchedly. Despite the fact that I only knew the Emperor of Tamriel for a few hours, I felt bad that I lost someone so...important.

"First Captain Renault, then Glenroy and now the Emperor...We've failed, I failed," Baurus began tirades before he finally turned to me and said, "strange, he saw something in you, trusted you.

"From your actions I take it you are a Monk?" He asked.

"Acrobat, actually," I answered.

"I was pretty close," Baurus responded. He then turned to Eriama. "And you...?"

"Archer," the elf replied.

"The Emperor told me to take the amulet to Jauffre and find his last heir," I said.

"I don't know about another son, but our Grandmaster, Jauffre, would be the one to know," Baurus said.

"Alright, where do we start?" I asked. Eirama cleared her throat. "We?"

I ignored her.

"First of all, you need to get the hell out of here," Baurus told me, holding out a key in his hand. "Then, when you get out of the sewers, you'll need to head for Chorrol. Jauffre lives near the city of Chorrol, to the west, in a place called Weynon Priory. It's a small place, out along the Black Road. You'll see it's just before the North Country Stables,

outside the city."

I nodded.

"What'll happen after this?" I asked.

"Not too sure about you two, but I'm staying to guard the Emperor's body," Baurus explained.

I opened the sewer manhole cover and heard Baurus say "Talos guide you" before Eirama shut the cover behind us.

* * *

We eventually got back to the outside world together.

"OK, so we need to go to Chorrol," I said, now opening the map.

"No, I'm not going," Eirama said, "I was never part of this, and I never will be. See you 'round, Laura. Or perhaps not."

"Where are you going?" I asked her.

"Home," the elf replied. "It's not like I can get a second chance here in Cyrodiil after all I've done."

"I'm sure what you did wasn't that bad," I began.

"I was an assassin," Eirama blurted. "A cold blooded killer. A murderer of the worst kind. You really don't want to have anything to do with me."

Then she took off, heading back in the direction of the Imperial City. I turned in the opposite direction, leaving the capital of Cyrodiil for the first time in years.


	4. Chapter three: Delivering the Amulet

**Chapter three: Delivering the Amulet.**

It took a day and a half to get to Chorrol. After I sold some belongings to keep me alive and buy better materials, I went to the Priory and knocked on the door. I was greeted by a Breton Monk who looked as if he had been disturbed from some very important task.

"Yes?"

"I'm here to see Jauffre," I told him instantly.

"He's upstairs, reading," the monk told me before opening his front door and letting me in. "Go right on upstairs, Jauffre's in the room on the right."

Slowly, I went on upstairs to see the Grandmaster of the Blades; Jauffre. The person who I guessed was him was at a desk, reading a book. I cleared my throat and he looked up, and I got a better look at him.

Jauffre was a Breton who was clearly ageing, but strength and agility radiated from him; I had no doubt that he would make a formidable opponent. His hair was greying, and cut in that ridiculous style monks insisted on. He looked up at me curiously.

"Yes?"

I coughed.

"You are Jauffre, right?" I asked.

"Yes, I'm Brother Jauffre. What do you want?" he demanded. He clearly wanted to know why a young woman had just popped up out of nowhere and was in his study.

"I'm here because of the Emperor...he sent me to find you," I explained.

"Emperor Uriel? Do you know something about his death?" he asked, his voice now clouding with suspicion.

News sure traveled fast.

"I brought you the Amulet of Kings," I said at once.

"This cannot be," Jauffre almost shouted, clearly outraged by my statements. "No one but the Emperor is permitted to handle the Amulet. Let me see it."

Cautiously, I handed him the amulet. Jauffre took it and after examining it, he gasped.

"By the Nine! This is the Amulet of Kings!" He cried.

I tried to slip out unnoticed but Jauffre's voice stopped me in my tracks.

"Stop right there, young woman! Who are you? How did you get this? What do you know of the Emperor's death?"

I turned around and faced Jauffre, who was glaring at me with anger. I was sure it was because I was trying to leave without explanation.

"I was there when he died..." I explained quietly, my voice trailing off.

"You'd better explain yourself," the monk responded. "Now. And you may as well sit down, because I have the feeling this will be awhile."

I pulled up a chair and sat across from Jauffre, telling the story of how I was in prison, how Uriel and his Blades went through a secret passageway in my cell and everything up to the emperor's instructions of me finding his last son and to 'close shut the jaws of Oblivion,' whatever that meant. I was, however, careful not to mention Eriama.

"As unlikely as your story sounds, I believe you," Jauffre began. "Only the strange destiny of Uriel Septim could have brought you to me carrying the Amulet of Kings. Now, I imagine you have questions?"

"Yes, of course," I said quickly. "Firstly of all, who is the Prince of Destruction?"

"The Prince of Destruction he referred to is none other than Mehrunes Dagon, one of the lords of the demonic world of Oblivion," Jauffre began. "The Emperor's words - 'Close shut the jaws of Oblivion' - certainly suggest that he perceived some threat from Oblivion. But all the scholars agree that the mortal world is protected from the daedra of Oblivion by magical barriers."

"Then how exactly can Oblivion threaten us?" I demanded.

"I'm not sure," Jauffre admitted. "Only the Emperors truly understand the meaning behind the rituals of coronation. The Amulet of Kings is ancient. Saint Alessia herself received it from the gods. It is a holy relic of great power. When an Emperor is crowned, he uses the Amulet to light the Dragonfires at the Temple of the One in the Imperial City.

"With the Emperor dead and no new heir crowned, the Dragonfires in the Temple will be dark, for the first time in centuries. It may be that the Dragonfires protected us from a threat that only the Emperor was aware of," Jauffre concluded with a sigh. I saw he was distressed. After a few moments, I said, "Uriel said he had a last son...and that I should find him. Do you know anything about this?"

"Yes," Jauffre answered. "Only too well...I am one of the few who know of his existence," Jauffre began again, clearing his throat.

"Many years ago, I served as captain of Uriel's bodyguards, the Blades. One night Uriel called me in to his private chambers. A baby boy lay sleeping in a basket. Uriel told me to deliver him somewhere safe. He never told me anything else about the baby, but I knew it was his son.

"From time to time he would ask about the child's progress. Now, it seems that this illegitimate son is the heir to the Septim Throne. If he yet lives," Jauffre explained.

"Where can I find this...illegitimate heir?" I asked curiously.

"His name is Martin," Jauffre said at once. "He serves Akatosh in the Chapel in the city of Kvatch, south of here."

_I know where Kvatch is,_ I thought, but said nothing.

"You must go to Kvatch and find him at once," Jauffre continued. "If the enemy is aware of his existence, as seems likely, he is in terrible danger. And please, let me know if there's anything you need. My resources here are limited, but I will help in any way I can."

"Do you have some better light armour I could borrow?" I asked. "These are kind of...old."

"Perhaps," Jauffre replied, "I keep some supplies in a chest over by that large bookshelf. Supplies for traveling Blades. You are more than welcome to go through it for anything you might need."

Jauffre got up and unlocked the chest. I took some better leather armour and thanked Jauffre.

"One other thing...?"

"My name is Laura," I said.

"OK. One other thing, Laura."

"Yes?" I asked.

"Hurry back. We need this to be done and over with.**"**

* * *

**Laura may seem a little emotionless in the next couple of chapters. Just a warning.**


	5. Chapter four: Oblivion

**Chapter four: Oblivion.**

I had no idea why I had to be the one to find Martin, but if that was the way things had to be then that was the end of it.

Kvatch...I hadn't been anywhere near the Gold Coast in years. I began to ponder if my mother and her husband Hulfgar had moved there and were still living there. If they were, then I certainly owed my mother an apology.

An apology I wasn't ready to give.

Enough, I chastised myself. I was going to find Martin. I would enter Kvatch, get the Septim heir and leave without getting sidetracked. That would be all there was to it.

* * *

To my surprise, I saw a campsite not too far from Kvatch. I thought they were campers. At least until a young Altmer rushed towards me.

"Is everything alright, sir?" I asked.

"Come on! Run while there's still time! The Guard still holds the road, but it's only a matter of time before they're overwhelmed!" he cried, his voice filled with panic.

Clearly everything was not alright.

"Could you just tell me what happened?" I asked.

"Gods' blood, you don't know, do you?" He cried. I blinked and then asked another question before the high elf said "Daedra overran Kvatch last night! There were glowing portals outside the walls! Gates to Oblivion itself!

"There was a huge creature... something out of a nightmare... came right over the walls... blasting fire. They swarmed around it... killing..." his voice trailed off.

I sighed in frustration. What of my mother? And more importantly, Martin?

I then forbade myself to start thinking any differently about Martin other than that he was alive and safe. I couldn't afford to think otherwise.

"There has to be something left," I thought aloud.

"Go and see for yourself!" The elf spat. "Kvatch is a smoldering ruin. Everyone is dead!"

"Then how are you still alive?!" I demanded.

"It was Savlian Matius..." the elf began again. "Some of the other guards... helped some of us escape... they cut their way out, right through the city gates. Savlian says they can hold the road."

The elf paused, and seemed hopeful for a second.

Then hysteria kicked back in.

"No...No, I don't believe him! Nothing can stop them! If you'd seen it, you'd know... I'm getting out of here before it's too late! They'll be here any minute, I'm telling you! Run while you can!"

"Wait!" I cried. "Do you know anything about a priest named Martin?"

"I knew a priest named Martin once," the elf replied darkly. "I'm sure he's dead, just like the rest of them. They're all dead, don't you understand?!"

Before I could say another word, the elf ran off. Images of a dead man I never even knew flashed in my head.

IStop it, Laura,/i I commanded myself. Then, I moved on towards the city.

I asked around about Martin. A Redguard eventually told me all she knew.

"Martin? You mean the priest, right?" She asked.

"That would be correct," I said.

"None of us here have any idea," she replied, "but if anyone knows, it'd be Savlian Matius, captain of the guard. He's holding the barricade now."

I nodded.

"Thank you."

"My pleasure," the Redguard replied.

I hesitated before asking, "can I ask if you knew a woman called Sabrinda?"

"Sabrinda?" The Redguard asked. "She and her husband Hulfgar lived here up until two years ago. Then they moved to Skyrim. She visits Bruma from time to time, from what I've heard.

"I didn't know Sabrinda too well, but she did treat me kindly. Mostly, she and her husband kept to themselves. It was Haema, Hulfgar's daughter, who did most of the socialization.

"Are you looking for them or something?" She finally asked.

"Let's just say my business with that family is private," I said. "Thank you for your time."

So my mother and her family were safe. I sighed a sigh of relief, knowing I wouldn't have to face them.

I then decided to put my mother to the back of my mind and focus on rescuing Martin, and then trudged up the hill towards Kvatch.

* * *

I hadn't even made it past the city gates when I saw the outside.

The ground was scorched black, and parts of the ground were crumbling. I almost fell over because of the state of the ground beneath my feet.

Portions of the ground were covered in lava as I got closer to the gates. Obviously, I avoided it.

What caught my attention the most, was the portal in the middle of ground. The portal was emitting sparks in the air, and strange creatures I had never seen before in my life came rushing out, the guards fighting them until they lay on the ground.

Daedra.

The captain, who I assumed was Savlian Matius, sighed. Then he turned around to face me.

"Excuse me," I began.

"Stand back civilian! This is no place for you. Get back to the encampment at once!" Matius commanded.

"I'm not one of Kvatch's citizans," I said at once, a little offended. "What happened here?"

Matius scowled.

"We lost the damned city, that's what happened!" He yelled. "It was too much, too fast. We were overwhelmed. Couldn't even get everyone out. There are still people trapped in there. Some made it to the Chapel, but others were just run down in the streets. The Count and his men are still holed up in the castle. And now we can't even get back into the city to help them, with that damned Oblivion Gate blocking the way."

"So, what are you going to do?" I asked.

"The only thing we can do," he replied. "We'll try to hold our ground that's what. If we can't hold this barricade, those beasts could march right down and overrun the encampment. I have to try and protect the few civilians that are left. It's all I can do now..."

I felt bad for the guards, Matius especially.

"My home... My goddamn home, in flames," Matius mumbled. "It kills me that I can't get in there and do something. We couldn't have been any less prepared for this. Seems like they came out of nowhere. There were just so many of them... If only I had a way to strike back at the enemy. But we can't leave the barricade until that Oblivion Gate is closed..."

And on and on he rambled. At least until I spoke up again.

"Do you have any idea as to where Martin might be, captain?" I asked.

"The priest?" Matius asked. "Last time I saw him, he was leading a group of people to the Chapel of Akatosh. If he's lucky, he's holed up there, if not..."

I only hoped the priest was alright.

"So," I said, changing the subject, "what exactly do you know about these gates?"

"Some kind of portal to Oblivion," Matius explained. "The enemy used them to attack the city...they appeared outside the walls and daedra poured out! They've opened one right in front of the city gates.

"Until that Gate is closed, the best I can do is try to hold these barricades," Matius said.

"Then I want to help," I blurted.

"Another person who wants to help?" Matius scoffed. "You're kidding me."

"Wait," I began, "there was someone else?"

"A Dunmer woman," Matius answered, "she went in with my guards, and they still haven't come out. Do you still want to help?"

"Yes," I replied, "tell me what you know."

"I don't know how to close this Gate, but it must be possible, because the enemy closed the ones they opened during the initial attack," Matius explained. "You can see the marks on the ground where they were, with the Great Gate right in the middle. I sent men into the Gate, to see if they could find a way to shut it..."

Matius hesitated.

"Go on," I said.

"Like I said, they haven't come back. If you can get in there, find out what happened to them. If they're alive, help them finish the job. If not, see what you can do on your own. The best I can say is, good luck. If you make it back alive, we'll be waiting for you." Matius said.

"I'll do my best," I promised.

"Good luck, civilian," Matius told me, "you are clearly going to need it."

I thanked him, then stepped into Oblivion itself.

* * *

Oblivion.

It truly was Oblivion with the dangerous lakes of lava, the hot crusty ground, the spikes everywhere and the hot, hot air.

I felt a wave of heat, so I drank a cooling potion, and continued onwards.

Then, I saw those horrible pests - Scamps - nearby. There were many rushing towards me, I think there were about five.

Talos and the rest of The Divines clearly had no mercy on me today.

Then, the scamps were blasted with ice, freezing them. Because the little bastards weren't used to heat, they died instantly.

"Fancy seeing you here, Haynori."

I looked up and saw Eriama Therayn looking straight at me. This time, she was wearing better armor, and she had better weapons; better bow and arrows that looked like they were fashioned from steel, and a small steel dagger at her side that I assumed was enchanted.

"By the Nine Divines, what on earth are you doing here?" I exclaimed.

"I had a contract here in Kvatch," Eriama explained, "seems these bastards got to my victim before I could. Damned Daedra...so I decided to do the right thing for a change and close the gate.

"Enough about that, what are YOU doing here?" she demanded.

"I...came here looking for the heir," I said.

"You mean...you're actually looking for the Septim heir?" Eriama asked.

"Of course," I replied. "The Emperor wanted me to. I didn't really have a choice."

"There is always a choice, Haynori," Eriama told me matter-of-factly. "You must want to do this really badly."

I shook my head before saying, "while we're on the subject of the heir, do you know a priest named Martin?"

"Ha!" Eriama scoffed. "Yeah, and I know more about him than he'd like anyone knowing. He used to know my brother and they were in the Mages' Guild together years ago.

"Why?" Eriama asked. "Does he have something to do with this...heir?"

"I was under the impression he is the heir," I told the elf.

"Now that I think about it, Martin does sort of bear a resemblance to Uriel," Eriama said thoughtfully to no one in particular.

"You sound like you know him well," I began.

"Sort of," Eriama said. "And if Martin is the heir, then I'm joining you on your quest."

"What?" I demanded.

"I'm going to help you," the Dunmer told me again, this time with a hint of impatience in her voice. "But first we need to get the hell out of this...place. I suspect there may be some way to close the gate if we just keep moving."

"Eriama, I don't think..."

As I turned around I saw more scamps heading around towards us. If we didn't move along, they'd see us.

"Y'know what," I said, "you're right...totally right."

* * *

Eriama and I kept on trudging up the hills in this Daedric wasteland. From what Eriama told me, all the soldiers were dead; they had been taken to the towers by Daedric soldiers called Dramora. We had to find a way to close the gate ourselves.

At least, I thought that until a soldier wearing the Kvatch Guard uniform ran towards us.

"Thank the Nine!" He cried. "I never thought I'd see another friendly face..."

"You didn't have faith in me, Vonius," Eriama accused him.

"Oh!" Vonius cried. "I thought...you were dead, Therayn."

"I won't die until I'm ready, and now is certainly not the time," Eriama replied sternly.

"What happened to the other guards?" I asked.

"The others...taken...they were taken to the tower!" Vonius replied. "Captain Matius sent us in to try and close the gate. We were ambushed, trapped, and picked off. I managed to escape, but the others are strewn across that bridge. They took Menien off to the big tower. You've got to save him! I'm getting out of here!" Vonius cried.

"Fine," I said, "Matius needs your help holding the barricade."

The other two looked at me.

"Captain Matius is still holding the barricade?" They both asked, flabbergasted.

"Yeah," I replied. "He sent me in here...rather reluctantly."

"I figured I was the last one left alive," Vonius said. From the look on Eriama's face, she was thinking the same.

"Alright. I'll try to get out of here and let the Captain know what's going on," Vonius finished, before running off, leaving us stranded in Oblivion.

* * *

Despite the searing heat in this place, I suddenly broke out in a cold sweat. I was drenched.

"Are you alright?" Eriama asked me.

"Yeah," I said. "Are you ever going to tell me more about you?"

Eriama sighed before saying, "all in due time. Right now I don't know if I can trust you not to tell the guards of my true nature, let alone tell you everything about me. You already know I'm in the Dark Brotherhood."

"I won't say a word to anyone," I promised as we got closer to the tower.

"Then you will know more at a later date," Eriama told me. "For now, we need to get Menius out of there."

Eriama nodded towards a tower that was being guarded by a Dramora soldier. The elf got her bow out and shot the Daedra. He of course, noticed us. I killed him, leaving his body to bleed on the ground.

The two of us entered the tower. There were several rotting corpses hanging from the ceiling, and other excruciating forms of torture in the tower. Eriama and I stood carefully on the "corpse-masher" and then made our way up the tower.

Then, we saw a man trapped in a cage. There seemed to be no way to open the cage to rescue him.

"Hey, you two, over here! Quickly!" He cried.

"Menius, is that you?" Eriama asked.

"Yes, Therayn," Menius cried.

I ran over to the cage, upset at the sight of an innocent man more than likely to die any second the Daedra saw fit.

"Quickly, quickly! There's no time! You must get to the top of the large tower. The Sigil Keep, they call it. That's what keeps the Gate open! Find the Sigil Stone. Remove it, and the Gate will close! Hurry! The Keeper has the key...you must get the key!" Menius stressed.

"What about you, though?" I demanded.

"Don't worry about me," Menius insisted. "Just kill the Dramora guard who has the Sigil key and close the gate!"

"You mean this key?" Eriama asked, holding up a key made of Daedric metal.

"Yes!" Menius cried. "Now hurry!"

* * *

As upset as I was to leave Menius behind, we had no choice. But we eventually made it to the tower that held the Sigil stone. The tower was overrun with Daedra, and that turned into a huge battle. But I thought I could handle it until a Dramora soldier knocked his mace into my left arm.

I fell over, and struggled to get up.

"Laura!" Eriama cried. "Here's a healing potion!"

I caught ahold of the potion Eriama threw my way, drank it, and then went back to fighting daedra. My arm still hurt, but at least it was no longer broken.

When all the daedra were dead, we climbed much higher to the Sigil stone. I pulled it out of its place, and gave it to Eriama.

"So, how do we get out now?" I asked.

Eriama sighed, and pointed to the white light surrounding us.

"We wait and see what happens," she replied.


	6. Chapter five: Battle for Castle Kvatch

**Chapter five: Battle for Castle Kvatch.**

"You closed the Gate?"

A surprised Savlian Matius greeted us upon our return to Tamriel. Eriama grinned at Matius.

"I knew you could do it! Both of you," he corrected himself at once. "This is our chance to launch a counterattack!"

"Yeah, after I see a healer," I told Matius pointedly. "I think there's still something wrong with my arm, even if Eriama saved my life."

"It was nothing," the elf said at once, rather dismissively. "Now go see that healer, we'll be waiting for you."

* * *

The healer fixed up my ribs better than the potion did, and I was ready to fight again. As soon as I was ready, Matius and his men met with Eriama and I outside Kvatch's city gates.

"I really need you two to come with us," he said. "You've got far more combat experience than these men."

"Alright," Eriama said, arming herself with an even better bow from Oblivion. "What have I got to loose now?"

The Kvatch guards were looking at me expectantly.

"I did come here looking for someone," I pointed out, "but why not?"

"We've got to move quickly, before they have a chance to barricade the city gate," Matius told us.

With only a small army, we charged into the remains of Kvatch, armed and prepared of what may lie ahead.

* * *

The Daedra occupying Kvatch were dead; their bodies loitering the charcoal burnt ground. Blood and guts were spilled everywhere, and in my opinion it was a disgusting sight. But really, no one cared. We were just glad they were dead.

"Ha ha! We wiped the bastards out!" Matius cried out. The Kvatch guards cheered their victory.

"It's safe to pull those people out of the chapel, right?" I asked Matius. The captain nodded before saying to all of us, "let's get in there and make sure they're all right. Come on. This is only the beginning of the battle for Kvatch. We can discuss the next phase once the civilians are safe."

We entered the chapel, and while Matius talked to a Redguard named Tierra, I felt Eriama's finger tap my shoulder.

"Yes?" I asked.

"That's Martin," Eriama told me, pointing to an Imperial with dark brown hair and bright blue eyes so strikingly like his father's. He was wearing priest's robes.

"I must speak with him," I said, starting towards the man before I felt Eriama's arm hold me back.

"Later, Haynori," Eriama told me. "There will be time for all that later. Right now, Captain Matius is in need of our help."

"...others, sir. But they refused to stay put. We tried to convince them it was dangerous, but they left anyway. I guess they didn't make it," Tierra finished.

Matius sighed, and then turned to us.

"We're not done. Not even close. This was only the first step," he told us.

Eriama grabbed a weak poison from her bag. "What is it you need us to do?" she asked.

"If this town is to be ours again, we'll need to get inside the castle," he explained. "You girls came this far with us; will you go further? If we're truly going to succeed, I'll need much more of your help."

"I'm in," the elf said at once.

"Of course I'll help," I told them.

"Yes!" Matius cried. "I warn you though, what we've seen so far is nothing compared to the battle that likely awaits us."

"Probably nothing compared to that Oblivion gate, either," Eriama muttered.

* * *

The battle nearer the castle was harder and bloodier than the previous battle upon entrance to Kvatch. By the end of it, I was exhausted. I decided instantly that as soon as this was all over, I would need a nice, long sleep.

But now wasn't the time for that.

Though we managed to slay all the Daedra, we were locked out of the castle. Savlian Matius began swearing violently under his breath in frustration, before banging his fist against the wall.

"Dammit, this is no good!" Matius cried. "The gates are locked, and the only way to open them is from within the gatehouse!"

"Maybe there is some way to get into the gatehouse?" I suggested. "Are there windows we could climb in through?"

"That won't work, Haynori, it's not possible," Matius told me. "The only mechanism for raising it is inside the gatehouse. And the only way to get into the gatehouse now would be through the passage at the North Guard House. But that's always kept locked..."

"Lockpicks?" Eriama suggested.

The captain shook his head.

"We need a key," Matius responded, emphasizing the word 'key.' "Someone hurry and find Berich Inian!" one of the guards cried.

"I will," Eriama said at once, then listened to the Captain's instructions before running off and leaving the rest of us to wait and hope.

* * *

The gates to the castle courtyards eventually opened, and we battled even more Daedra before we made our way into the castle.

The castle was in flames; furniture was set ablaze, great roaring fires had taken over parts of the floor, blocking us from moving there. This was just the place fit for Daedra.

"Find Count Goldwine!" Matius cried.

"Of course!" I cried back at him, running up the tall staircase towards where the Count's private quarters were.

I entered, and after fighting off two troublesome scamps, a not so pleasant surprise greeted me.

The count was dead; he was lying in a pool of his own blood.

We were too late.

I searched the count's body and found a unique ring and pocketed it, thinking perhaps I should give it to Matius.

I returned downstairs and saw expectant faces turn sad, anxious and even angry upon my return.

"Where is the Count? Why is he not with you?" Matius demanded.

"He..."

I hesitated.

"...didn't make it," I finished. "I'm sorry."

"We...we were too late? If only we'd gotten here sooner!" Matius sighed heavily before continuing. "This is indeed a dark day for all of us left. But I thank you for risking your own life to help us. Did you find the Count's ring, by any chance?"

"You mean this?" I asked him, holding out the ring I had found on the Count's body.

"Yes, exactly that. Thank you," Matius told me. "I cannot thank you both enough."

"...you're welcome," Eriama replied.

* * *

By the time we headed back to the encampment, it was almost midnight. Eriama and I had brought tents, so we set up camp ourselves.

"I need to thank you for your help," I told Eriama.

"It wasn't that big of a deal, Haynori," the elf responded, using a hammer to finish up the tent setup.

"You risked your life for us," I began.

"As nice as it would be to chat," Eriama said, "I am quite exhausted. We shall talk on the Morrow."

"Goodnight," I replied quietly.

I crawled into my tent. I was much too tired to think, so I slept like the dead.

* * *

**They'll be Martin in the next chapter. :)**


	7. Chapter six: Martin

**Chapter six: Martin.**

Very early the next morning, I began packing up my things and was going to bathe in the small river nearby. But as soon as I opened my tent door, Eriama had already beaten me to it. She was outside my tent.

"Right," she said, "let's find that priest and move on out."

"Can I ask you how you got into the Dark Brotherhood in the first place?" I began.

"Oh, you have questions?" Eriama countered. "How am I supposed to know you won't tell Captain Matius right now?"

"I gave my word," I insisted.

Eriama sighed.

"I murdered my stepmother," she said at once. "Every other murder since then was because I was trying to get the Speaker of the Black Hand to notice me as well as to advance.

"Now, why not tell me a bit more about yourself," Eriama finished.

I decided she was still hiding something, but went along with it and told her about me. She already knew I was a thief, but I told her everything else.

"Have you tried looking for your mother?" Eriama asked.

"Not exactly," I replied, "I asked around before closing the gate yesterday."

"I think you should apologize," the elf said at once, "if she's willing to take you back with open arms, then that is one chance you don't just throw away."

"You sound like you speak from experience," I replied.

"As a matter of fact," Eriama concluded, "I do."

* * *

The priest known as Martin was sitting around the burnt out fire with other citizens of Kvatch, talking to them.

I had to admit that Martin was rather attractive upon closer inspection, but he was a priest; letting my imagination run away with me would be most...unwise.

"I heard about how you helped the Guard drive the Daedra back. Well done," he said as I neared him. Then, I saw him look at Eriama and he winced. I ignored it and decided to get it over with.

"You're in danger," I said at once.

Martin snorted.

"Danger, you say?" He asked curtly. "You came here to tell me this? Explain yourself or leave me alone. There are many others here who actually need your help."

"The Emperor sent me to find you," I revealed. I took a deep breath. I didn't want more of Martin's ridicule.

"The Emperor is dead," Martin responded sternly, turning to look up at me. I felt myself tremble.

Martin's bright blue eyes were strikingly like his father's. That's when I knew then and there without further question he was Uriel's son.

"Who are you? What do you really want with me?" Martin demanded.

"I'm Laura Haynori. You are Martin, right?" I asked. "The priest?"

"Yes. I'm a priest. Do you need a priest?" he asked wearily. "I don't think I'll be much help to you. I'm having trouble understanding the gods right now. If all this is part of a divine plan, I'm not sure I want to have anything to do with it."

"There is a plan," I replied.

"What plan?" Martin spat. "What are you talking about? I prayed to Akatosh all through that terrible night, but no help came. Only more Daedra. What can you possibly know that would help me make sense of this?"

Suddenly it occurred to me that from Martin's perspective, the conversation didn't make any sense. Before I could shock him, however...

"What Laura Haynori here is trying to say is that you're the Emperor's last son, you goddamn moron," Eriama snapped.

There.

The divines had better have mercy on me now.

"Eriama, I know you and I have had our differences, but...you think the emperor is my father?" Martin laughed at the idea. I had to admit that if I was him, I'd find the idea of being the son or daughter of the emperor pretty ridiculous, too.

"No, you must have the wrong man," Martin insisted. "I am a priest of Akatosh. My father was a farmer, as Eriama here knows full well..."

"Oh, for the Gods's sake, Martin," Eriama cursed before burying her face in her hands.

Ignoring Eriama, I sighed and began talking again.

"Your father knew you were in danger, Martin," I said quietly.

"You spoke to the Emperor before he died? And he told you to...find me?" Martin faltered.

"Why would I lie to you?" I asked.

Eriama buried her face in her hands again, but this time it was because of me because she mumbled something about me being idiotic. But I was running out of things to say, but even I didn't expect Martin to buy it, either.

"I don't know. It's strange...I think you might actually be telling the truth," Martin responded, trying to hide the obvious fright on his face. "What does this mean? What do you want from me?"

"I need you to come with me to Weynon Priory," I said, "Jauffre, Grandmaster of the Blades, would like to speak to you. And then we'll light the Dragonfires."

Eriama was filling her bag with potions and weapons but lifted her head to hear Martin's response.

"You and Eriama destroyed the Oblivion Gate, they say," Martin said. "You girls gave them hope. You both helped them drive the Daedra back...Yes. I'll come with you to Weynon Priory and hear what Jauffre has to say. Whenever you're ready, lead on."

"Just let me get my bag and we'll go," I said. I then went over to Eriama.

"Still coming, Therayn?'' I asked.

"Of course," the elf said in response, "I told you I was."

* * *

The journey to Chorrol took us first to Skingrad, where we decided to stay at the Two Sister's for the night.

"We only have enough for two rooms," Eriama said. She then turned to me, "so unless you want to stay with the priest, you're stuck with me."

"Sounds like a decent enough plan to me," I replied.

As the evening wore on, Martin and I sat around the fireplace downstairs and ended up talking for ages while Eriama rested upstairs.

"...I should have known I was the emperor's son," Martin said. "Or at least not really my father's son. We didn't actually look that much alike."

"What about your mother?" I asked.

Martin sighed.

"My mother died several years ago," Martin replied. "She was ill."

"Oh, I'm sorry," I said at once.

"Don't be," Martin told me, "it wasn't your fault. Things happen. What about you, though?"

I felt myself shake a little before I said, "my father and sister are dead and my mother took off for Skyrim with her family not too long ago..."

"I know a woman who took off for Skyrim not too long ago, too," Martin spoke up, "her name was Sabrinda."

"You see, she was my mother," I said without thinking.

Martin smirked. That smirk of his made him even more inappropriately attractive.

"My, you are full of surprises, aren't you?" He asked with a chuckle. "First I'm the Emperor's son, now your Sabrinda's missing daughter."

"She mentioned me?" I asked.

"Sabrinda used to help out at the chapel occasionally," Martin began, "one time, she had a mental breakdown in the chapel undercroft. She was mostly muttering incoherent babble, but what words I heard were about her two daughters. One dead, the other ran off...

"I take it you are the runaway?" Martin asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Indeed," I replied. "At the time I ran away, my mother angered me. And I'm still not ready to apologize to her."

"When you can, you should," Martin said. "If I could, I most certainly would apologize to those I've wronged."

"Eriama told me exactly the same thing," I replied.

"In this case, Eriama is right," Martin told me. "And usually, she causes trouble. At least in my case."

"Why?" I asked before I could stop myself.

"A...personal history between her and myself that I find hard to explain," Martin said darkly. "Now, it's getting late. I think we ought to go to bed."

I sighed, said goodnight to Martin and snuggled under the covers of my bed in the room Eriama and I shared. I didn't fall asleep right away, though.

What exactly had happened between Eriama and Martin? I asked myself. Even if I never found out, I certainly hoped they would eventually put aside. If they didn't, this would surely be a long journey.

* * *

The very next morning, we departed Skingrad. We stayed at a small inn that night, and then we went along the black road towards the priory.

"So...what's Jauffre like, exactly?" Eriama asked me as we got nearer.

"I was just going to ask the same," Martin said, and that earned a scoff and a snarky remark from Eriama.

"He's a nice person," I offered, "but I'm sure he doesn't approve of assassins, so you may want to keep your trap shut there, Therayn."

"Figures," Eriama mumbled.

"Really, no one approves of assassins, Eriama," Martin interjected.

There was a few moments of silence before "I'm not an assassin anymore," came out of Eriama's mouth.

I scowled. She could have told us this.

Before we could continue the conversation, we saw a figure of someone running towards us. It was Erinor, the Dunmer shepherd who worked for the monks at Weynon Piory. It struck me as odd that he was running away from his workplace, towards us as if for dear life, but I decided to keep heading towards the priory. Eriama and Martin exchanged looks, but decided to keep following me.

"Help!" Erinor cried. "You must help us!"

"What's going on?" I asked. Erinor didn't need to reply, however; I saw people behind him. They were armed, and were wearing the same kind of clothes as the people who murdered the Emperor...

"I don't know!" Erinor yelled out. "I think they're right behind me! Prior Maborel is dead!"

"Who's Prior Maborel?" Eriama demanded, pulling out her dagger.

"He owns the place," I told her quickly, before turning back to Erinor and asking, "who is attacking the Priory?"

"I was in the sheepfold when they attacked," Erinor replied, shifting his eyes away from us. "I heard the Prior talking to someone, looked around the corner to see who it was. They looked like travelers, ordinary...Suddenly weapons appeared in their hands and they cut the Prior down before he could move! They saw me watching and I ran..."

I exchanged nervous glances with Martin and Eriama before asking, "where's Jauffre?"

If something happened to Jauffre, we were screwed.

"I don't know. In the Chapel praying, I think. You must help us!" Erinor said.

The assassins were moving towards us. Obviously they had sighted us, and Eriama had obviously noticed, because she found a paint horse and said to Erinor, "listen, you need to get the hell out of here."

"Of course!" He cried, and ran out towards the city.

The assassins moved closer. I decided to take action.

"Martin, you stay hidden!" I cried. I unsheathed my sword and ran towards one of the assassins, successfully stabbing them in the stomach. I watched the blood flow onto the dirt encrusted floor. The sight was oddly unsettling, but I took a deep breath and kept moving.

I turned around and saw Martin fighting one of the assassins. The bastard died, of course. But the fact that Martin decided to fight alongside us outraged me.

"By the Nine, I told you to stay hidden!" I snapped at him.

"Well, he was rushing towards me anyway," Martin objected. "What was I supposed to do, let him kill me?"

"By the gods you two, shut up!" Eriama yelled at us. She then went to inspect the bodies of the now dead assassins. The armor they were wearing had now vanished, bright red robes now taking their place.

"They aren't ordinary assassins," the elf said. "No normal assassin would try and murder the Emperor or people associated with his protection. Even the Dark Brotherhood has standards."

"I know they aren't ordinary assassins," I said at once, "the question is; who exactly are they?"

Martin, Eriama and I all exchanged nervous looks.

"I have no idea," Eriama admitted. "But whoever they are, they are playing with fire."

Yes. Eriama was right. Playing with fire indeed.

Just then, Jauffre emerged from the chapel. His robes and sword were covered in blood, and although very clearly exhausted, looked prepared for more bloodshed. Instead, he saw us.

"You're back, Laura!" He cried. "Thank Talos..."

Jauffre looked around and saw Martin and Eriama.

"I don't think we've met," Eriama began. "Eriama Therayn."

"I'm Jauffre," the monk told her. "I take it you are Martin," Jauffre said, turning to Martin. Martin turned to face Jauffre before saying, "that would be correct."

"Thank the Nine," Jauffre said before emitting a sigh of relief.

* * *

The four of us went to the main house where we cleaned up and waited for Jauffre, who was upstairs changing and checking on the Amulet of Kings. I began fearing the worst.

"Things aren't going according to plan, are they?" Martin asked, his voice grim.

"Absolutely not," I replied, my voice just as grim.

Just then, Jauffre came downstairs, adorning Blades armor and a look even grimmer than our voices.

I had to admit that the Grandmaster of the Blades was ever so slightly intimidating wearing armor, but considering there might be more assassins around, this was a good thing. The grim look on his face, however, was not.

"What happened?" Eriama asked.

Jauffre sighed.

"They've taken it! The Amulet of Kings is gone! The enemy has defeated us at every turn!" he despaired.

"Do we not have Martin?" Eriama demanded.

"Yeah, Martin is safe," I told Jauffre. "We have the heir."

"So it has not all gone against us," Jauffre said. "Thank Talos for that! We gained Uriel's heir, and lost the Amulet of Kings!"

"We need to get the amulet back," I insisted.

"Obviously," Eriama muttered.

"Of course," Jauffre said, "but Martin cannot stay here. We have driven them off, but they will be back once they learn of Martin's survival. Which they will."

"So where will he be safe?" I asked.

"Nowhere is truly safe against the power arrayed against us," Jauffre told me. "But we must play for time, at least... Cloud Ruler Temple, I think. The hidden fortress of the Blades, in the mountains near Bruma. A few men can hold it against an army. We should leave at once."

Eriama shook my arm and said, "you tell Martin we're leaving."

Martin was in the study area to the right. I took hold of his arm and said, "Jauffre wants us to go to Cloud Ruler Temple.

Martin turned to face me.

"He does?"

"He says it's not safe here," I continued, "and in all honesty, I agree."

Martin looked at me briefly before saying, "lead on, Laura."


	8. Chapter seven: Cloud Ruler Temple

**Chapter seven: Cloud Ruler Temple.**

The trip to Cloud Ruler Temple took all four of almost a week, and by the end of it, we were all really cold.

"How the hell are Nords able to stand this cold?" Eriama asked no one in particular. "Because if I stay out here, I'm probably going to freeze to death."

"But you'd still pick this over an Oblivion gate, right?" Martin asked her with a smirk.

"Oh, shut up," the elf snapped. It took considerable pains for me not to laugh at the whole thing.

* * *

Cloud Ruler Temple stood before me and my companions, and I decided what I needed was a nice, long rest. But first, we were greeted by a member of the Blades.

"Hail, my lord! Welcome to Cloud Ruler Temple! We have not had the honor of an Emperor's visit in many years!" the Redguard said.

"Ah, well, thank you! The honor is mine," Martin replied, stuttering a little.

"Cyrus," Jauffre said to the Blade. "These girls are Eriama Therayn and Laura Haynori. They found Martin for us."

"It is truly an honor to meet you both," Cyrus began.

"No, the honor is all mine," I replied.

Eriama smiled weakly before saying, "it's nice to meet you, too."

"Come, Sire," Jauffre said to Martin, "we must move on; your Blades are waiting to greet you."

All five of us went upstairs and saw the rest of the Blades waiting for us. The number of Blades intimidated me a little, but looking over at Martin beside me, I saw he was even more intimidated than I was.

"You know, I'm sure everything will be fine," I told him.

"I'm just not exactly sure if they'll like what they see," Martin replied.

I couldn't think of anything more to say, so I took his hand as a pathetic attempt to reassure him. I could have sworn I saw a small smile form on his face.

"Blades!" Jauffre called to the men and women around us. "Dark times are upon us. The Emperor and his sons were slain on our watch. The Empire is in chaos. But there is yet hope. Here is Martin Septim, true son of Uriel Septim!"

Martin looked genuinely surprised as the Blades lifted their swords and saluted him their Emperor. Eriama didn't even attempt to hide her disgust.

"Your Highness," Jauffre told Martin. "The Blades are at your command. You will be safe here until you can take up your throne."

Martin cleared his throat.

"Jauffre," he began, "all of you. I know you all expect me to be Emperor. I'll do my best...but this is all new to me. I'm not used to giving speeches...but I wanted you to know that I appreciate your welcome here. I hope I prove myself worthy of your loyalty in the coming days. That's it. Thank you."

From the speech Martin gave, I could tell he was in a similar situation to myself. He was dragged from one life, and suddenly expected to live another entirely. I didn't know why, but I wanted to be there for him.

* * *

After Jauffre declared to everyone that it was time for everyone to return to their duties, I saw Martin by the doors to the temple. He saw me as well, from the look of it.

"Not much of a speech, was it?" He asked. "Didn't seem to bother them, though."

Obviously I wasn't supposed to answer that question.

"The Blades saluting me and hailing me as Martin Septim... I don't mean to sound ungrateful. I know I would be dead by now if it weren't for you. Thank you. But everyone expects me to suddenly know what to do. How to behave. They want an Emperor to tell them what to do. And I haven't the faintest idea..." he said.

I honestly had no idea what to say here, and I knew he was watching me struggle with a reply.

"We need to get the amulet back, _your Highness," _a voice behind me said, the 'your highness' part dripping with sarcasm. Martin sighed.

"I know we do, Eriama," he replied wearily. "Of course we do. The Amulet of Kings. So we - I - can take it to the Temple of the One and light the Dragonfires. And stop the Oblivion invasion."

"And then you will be Emperor," I added.

Martin chuckled. "That's an idea that will take some getting used to."

Eriama mumbled something I couldn't exactly hear, but I knew it was somewhat insulting. I decided to ignore her.

"Of course it'll take getting used to," I said to Martin, trying to reassure him.

Martin grinned.

"I think you girls ought to see Jauffre," he said, "but then get some rest, Laura. You look tired."

I nodded and Eriama took ahold of my arm, dragging me towards the stables.

"Am I seeing things, or are you starting to crush on Martin Dellius? Oh, sorry - Martin Septim?" Eriama demanded.

I snorted. "Don't be ridiculous, Therayn. I've only known him a short while."

Eriama chuckled.

"Yeah..."

"You don't believe me, do you?" I asked, raising my eyebrow.

Eriama studied my face for a moment. "No, I don't think so, Haynori," she replied. "I'm keeping an eye on you two, so to speak."

Suddenly, I was aware of how hot my face was, despite the cold, mountain air surrounding us.

* * *

"You have both proven yourselves loyal servants of the Empire, as worthy as any of the Blades to stand by Martin's side during this crisis," Jauffre told us as we were sitting in the Temple's great hall, and I was wolfing down the sandwiches I got from the dining room.

"Really?" A surprised Eriama asked.

"Of course. As the Grandmaster of the Blades, I would be honored to accept you both into our order. Will you join us?"

The answer to the question for me was very obvious.

"Yes, Grandmaster Jauffre, I will join the Blades," I said at once. "I am honored that you asked."

"Wonderful," Jauffre replied with a chuckle. "There should be an Akaviri Katana downstairs waiting for you."

Jauffre then turned to Eriama, who began to stutter.

"I...I need time to think about it," Eriama said.

"Take as much time as you need, Eriama," Jauffre told her. "But we would love to have you."

When Jauffre left us, Eriama's facial expression changed. From the looks of things, she was surprised, shocked and there was something else I couldn't quite put my finger on.

* * *

"Why didn't you join right away?" I asked curiously when we headed to the Blades armory downstairs to get my katana.

"Because..." Eriama hesitated.

"Well?" I demanded.

"After everything we've been through, I would end up serving him," Eriama spat. "Not to mention the Blades would throw me out if they knew about my...past."

I sighed.

"You really think so?" I asked.

"Of course!" Eriama almost shouted. She then gave me the Sigil stone from the Kvatch Oblivion Gate.

"Here," she said. "I heard these things can enchant objects. You might want to try that on your new weapon."

"Thank you, but you're changing the subject," I pointed out.

Eriama sighed heavily.

"What happened between me and Martin was...complicated. And his becoming a priest and now Emperor does nothing to change my overall opinion of him," Eriama ranted.

"What did he do?" I asked.

"Why not ask him?" Eriama snapped before stalking out of the armory.

* * *

After I got my Akaviri Katana enchanted, I went and slept downstairs in the barracks. It was cold, so I grabbed some extra blankets from my bag. But then I awoke and didn't even bother changing back into armor. I just wore my simple clothing that I wore for bed. Then I went back upstairs to the Great Hall to find everyone gone. The place was all mine, I thought, and sat on the floor by the fire.

"Can't sleep?"

I turned around to see the Septim heir right behind me.

"I actually woke up not too long ago," I said. "I figured that I may as well sit by the fire before I return to those freezing barracks downstairs."

"Great minds think alike they say," Martin responded with a chuckle. "Because I was going to do the same. If you don't mind, of course."

"You don't even need to ask, Your Highness," I told him with a grin.

We laughed before he sat down.

"You know," he began, "I was serious when I said I had no idea how to be Emperor."

"I understand to a certain extent," I replied. "Before, I wasn't anyone except a runaway thief living in the Imperial City."

"So, you were a thief?" Martin asked, not without amusement.

"I'm not exactly proud of it," I told him.

"I've done some things I'm not proud of, either," Martin admitted.

"Are you...talking about Eriama?" I asked.

Martin looked away from me for a moment.

"She didn't tell you?"

I shook my head.

"Before I was a priest, I used to worship Daedra Lords," he began. "And when I got my hands on a Daedric artifact, several people died as a result of my actions, including her brother."

I was shocked, but tried to keep a straight face.

"Eriama hasn't forgiven me for it," Martin said, "despite it happening over ten years ago now. I was about how old she is now at the time. A foolish young man..."

"Martin..."

"You don't hate me for that, do you?" He asked.

"Well, no," I admitted, "though I probably should."

Martin looked at me for a second.

"Why wouldn't Eriama tell you what happened?" He asked.

"No idea, she just wouldn't budge," I grumbled, "and if we're all going to work together like she's insisting, then I need to have an idea why you hate each other - I mean, she hates you."

"Well, you know now," Martin said to me.

The fire was slowly dying out.

"I think we ought to go to bed," Martin continued.

"Yeah," I said after taking a deep breath. "Sounds good to me."

It actually didn't sound good.

* * *

"You have no idea how sorry Martin is, Eriama," I said to her at breakfast the next morning.

"So we're on first name terms now?" Eriama asked, the amusement in her voice unmistakeable.

"Don't change the subject," I snapped. "I know what happened to your brother, and I'm sorry. So is Martin. But during this Oblivion crisis, we all need to help each other beat the Daedra. This includes you and Martin.

"You don't have to join the Blades," I continued. "But I would like you to try and be friends with him. He is, after all, going to be Emperor."

Eriama looked at me.

"Y'know, when I was the Dark Brotherhood, I was hoping I would be assigned a contract to kill the bastard?" Eriama told me. "No pun intended obviously.

"But now that he's the last heir to the Dragon Throne, I cannot do that. Not only would I be unwelcome in that family of mine, there are already people trying to do the job for me."

Eriama took a deep breath.

"But you have a point about beating the Daedra," she continued. "If we are going to beat the Daedra, friends and enemies alike will need to unite and fight together."

Eriama got up from the table we were sitting at, leaving me alone.

Later that day, I found out that not only was Eriama getting along with Martin, she had joined the Blades as well.


	9. Chapter eight: Path of the Mythic Dawn

**Warning: This chapter is quite long.**

* * *

**Chapter eight: Path of the Mythic Dawn.**

For the next two and a half weeks, Eriama and I stayed at Cloud Ruler Temple. Eriama and I were now used to the cold barracks though we still used our extra blankets when we decided to rest.

I found myself getting closer to Martin. He was my best friend - and now that I think about it, my only real friend besides Eriama. And even then, I felt I couldn't talk to her about nearly as much, considering how much she distanced herself from everyone else.

* * *

On a Morndas morning, I expected everything to go as normal - or at least as normal as could be given the current circumstances. I would eat at one of the tables in the great hall, maybe with Eriama and Martin. And then I would wash, get dressed and work on my swordsman skills, or perhaps marksman with Eriama. And then I would perhaps chat with Martin for a little while.

But that Morndas a first occured for me. Eriama and Martin were indeed seated, waiting for me, it seems, but so was Jauffre.

"Ah, there you are, Laura," Jauffre began.

"Is something wrong?" I asked.

"Not wrong exactly, Blade Sister," the Grandmaster continued. "But I received word from Baurus that he might know something about these...assassins."

Eriama exchanged looks with me, giving me the indication she knew no more than I did.

"I need you girls to travel to the Imperial City and meet him, so that maybe all three of you can find information together," Jauffre concluded.

I winced. I hadn't been back to Cyrodiil's capital in over a month. The rest of the Thieves Guild were probably wondering what happened to me after we were arrested by Hieronymus Lex. I began to wonder if they thought I was dead.

"Are you alright, Laura?" Martin asked me.

"Of course," I answered quickly. Perhaps too quickly.

"Are you sure? You look a bit pale."

"I'm fine," I insisted. I turned to Eriama. "When do you think we should leave?"

"Well, it's not too late in the morning," Eriama began. "We could leave in an hour and get there by nightfall."

I nodded.

"I think I forgot to mention that Baurus is staying at Luther Boarding House in the Elven Gardens District," Jauffre added.

Oh! That made everything worse!

"We'll be gone by Noon," Eriama assured him.

* * *

"You know," Martin told me, "Cloud Ruler Temple won't be the same while you're gone."

We were in the Great Hall and I was making some basic healing potions for me to use while we were gone. Eriama and Martin taught me a little about alchemy during the time we were here. Alchemy - and magic in general - was something I was never really that patient to learn before. But the basics weren't as hard as I had previously been lead to believe after my sister's death several years ago.

"Well, this will be for all of Tamriel, right?" I asked.

"I suppose so," Martin said. "Just be careful while you are away. I wouldn't want something terrible to happen to you."

"I'll be fine," I assured him. Though I was still worried I'd bump into Captain Lex or a guild member who'd recognize me.

"I hope so," he told me, "I've heard that Oblivion Gates have been opening all across the province. With much worse Daedra emerging."

"Eriama and I can handle those," I said a little too dismissively. _Oh, by the gods, act like a human being!_

"Just be careful," Martin told me. And then, before he walked off, I felt him tuck a loose piece of my hair behind my ear.

* * *

"Alright, we're off," Eriama said. She was wearing two layers of clothing underneath her armor. My guess that she'd be sweltering by the time we got there. The walk to the Imperial City was long and exhausting. Not only were there troublesome wolves on the road to the city, there were bandits and even a highwayman. But the highwayman followed us to the city gates and we let the guards deal with him.

* * *

The trip through the Talos Plaza was easy enough. By the time we got to the gates to the Elven Gardens district, however, I was feeling a little uneasy.

"Just let me know if you see any of the Captains," Eriama whispered, "I really have no desire to go back to jail."

"And I have no desire to see Lex," I replied.

We walked through the Elven Gardens. Despite the fact that it was quite late, I still saw Julia Felwyn talking to a guard before turning around to look at me.

I was afraid she'd remember me as the woman who tried to steal her jewellery and demand I be arrested at once.

She began walking towards us.

"Miss Felwyn, I am so sorr-" I began

"Hey, aren't you the Heroes of Kvatch?" She asked. The guards behind us gave us curious looks.

"Why, yes," Eriama replied before I could. "We are indeed."

We then left Julia and the guard's behind, I heard Eriama ask "so what did you do, exactly?"

"What on earth are you talking about?" I demanded.

"I heard you saying sorry to Julia Felwyn," Eriama said.

"Oh, that," I replied with a dismissive wave of the hand, "a couple of friends and I went on a mission to steal some valuable jewellery from her house months ago and we got caught. That's how I got thrown in jail."

"I can't judge," Eriama said as we entered Luther's Boarding House.

* * *

Luther's was warm and the welcoming aroma of freshly baked bread filled my nostrils. Because of how late it was, there were not really that many people occupying the inn. In fact, I think there only three other people besides us. Luther himself, a Breton seated by the window drinking from a tankard, and a Redguard. Upon closer inspection, I saw that the Redguard was Baurus.

I sat beside him, and Eriama sat on the other side of him.

Baurus saw us both, and then sighed a sigh of relief.

"Listen, you two," he began, "I'm going to get up in a second. That guy over there is going to follow me."

Baurus nodded towards the Breton who was sitting across the room from us, still drinking.

"You two follow him," Baurus finished.

"I'm ready when you are," I said at once.

"As am I," Eriama added.

"Good," Baurus told us.

For the next minute or so, we sat in silence. Then Baurus got up and headed downstairs. Just as Baurus predicted, the Breton got up and followed suit.

"We know what happens next," Eriama told me.

The two of us got up and followed the Breton to the basement.

* * *

The Breton that was following Baurus didn't see all that suspicious until a spell was cast and he took on the appearance of one of the assassins that murdered the emperor.

Eriama climbed onto the barrels in the corner and waited patiently for the right moment to shoot - and that was after I struck him with my newly enchanted katana.

The body lay dead on the floor, the scent of death mixing with the scent of food and wine.

"Search his body," Baurus told me. "There may be something useful to us about the Emperor's murder."

"Alrighty," I said. I rifled through the pockets of the man's robes, searching desperately for any connection to the assassination.

I found nothing but keys and a strange looking book.

"Nothing?" Eriama demanded with a scowl.

"Nothing," I answered.

I turned to Baurus.

"Good to see you again, Baurus," I spoke up with a grin.

"You too, actually," the young Redguard said. "You girls just caught me at a bad time."

"Bad time?" Eriama asked him.

"Yeah," Baurus replied. I handed him the book without saying a word. "Do you know anything about the Mythic Dawn?"

"Never heard anything about them," Eriama and I responded at exactly the same time. We then exchanged looks before Baurus opened the book and scanned the pages before closing it again.

"I think you girls had better head over to the Arcane University and speak with a scholar named Tar-Meena. She's an expert on Daedric cults," Baurus said. "I'll keep an eye on the Mythic Dawn Network."

"And we'll meet back here tomorrow night, right?" Eriama asked.

"Right," Baurus nodded.

"But...what are we going to do about the body?" I asked.

"I'll speak to Luther about it," Baurus said quickly. "He knows what it means to work for the Blades. Now you two get some rest, and head over to the Arcane University tomorrow."

The two of us gave Luther ten gold each and then we went upstairs to bed. Tomorrow, we to would go to the university and find out more.

* * *

The afternoon air was unusually cold and windy when Eriama and I went to the Arcane Univeristy. I asked several people where Tar-Meena might be, and eventually a young Altmer woman told me where she was. In the Arch-Mage's lobby.

"You must be the two girls she told me she was expecting this morning," she continued on after I thanked her.

"I think we are," Eriama replied with a smirk. The Altmer extended her hand.

"My name's Milia Felwyn," she said. "I'm an Evoker here."

"I can see that," muttered Eriama. Milia didn't hear her or didn't care to.

Without warning, another young High Elf came out of the Arch-Mage's lobby and greeted Milia and the two of us.

"I was helping my cousin Tinaralia here get here from Cheydinhal. She just got all her recommendations," Milia bragged.

"Congratulations," I told Tinaralia, who was smiling at me but didn't say a word. I could tell she was shy. But she still uttered an inaudible "thank you."

"Laura," Eriama began, grabbing my arm, "we need to get going."

"I hope we see you two around the Imperial City a little more," Tinaralia blurted.

"Oh, I'm sure we will," I said, "it was nice meeting you two."

"Good luck with whatever you're doing," Milia called before we opened the door to the Arch-Mage's lobby and shut the door behind us.

* * *

Tar-Meena was sitting on one of the benches, and she looked up when she saw us, because another of the mage's announced our arrival.

"Thank you, Bothiel," she told her. Bothiel left us to talk.

Tar-Meena was an Argonian mage, who I heard was one of the more experienced mage's at the Arcane University. Although in my experience, Argonians didn't usually show visible signs of age, there was something about Tar-Meena that showed that she was older.

"Ah, you two must be the girls I was told to expect," Tar-Meena began at once.

I nodded and Eriama began for us.

"We're here about this book," Eriama said, grabbing the volume out of her rucksack and handing it to Tar-Meena. Tar-Meena studied it quickly.

"Ah! The Commentaries..."

"What can you tell us about the Mythic Dawn?" I asked. Tar-Meena seemed to know much about the subject, because she started talking to us in great detail.

"One of the most mysterious and secretive of all the Daedric cults," Tar-Meena began. "Not much is known about them."

Eriama sighed and I had to admit to myself that I felt like sighing as well. Finding the Mythic Dawn may prove to be much harder than I thought at first and if that was the case, then everything would surely be disastrous if we didn't get to them in time.

"They follow the teachings of Mankar Camoran, whom they call 'Master,'" continued Tar-Meena. "A shadowy figure in his own right, Camoran calls the New Age a time when Mehrunes Dagon overtakes Tamriel and they hope to give us all a good cleansing."

Tar-Meena shook her head scornfully while Eriama and I exchanged looks. We had both heard about Mehrunes Dagon before.

"Do you know where we can find them?" Eriama asked.

Tar-Meena then looked up at us, her eyes bright with a new kind of interest.

"Find them, eh? Well, I won't poke my nose in any further," Tar-Meena said at once before either of us could answer the question. "Say no more. Official business and all that. I'm used to working with the Blades.

"In any case, finding them will most certainly not be easy," Tar-Meena continued. "It's clear that Mankar Cameron's commentaries come in four volumes, but I've only ever seen the first two books. I think that the commentaries contain clues as to where Mehrunes Dagon's hidden shrine may be located, and those that find it have proven themselves worthy of joining the Mythic Dawn.

"Here," Tar-Meena said after grabbing a book from the stack beside her on the bench. "You can have the library's copy of volume two. Treat it gently, if you please! Like I said, I've never even seen the third and fourth volumes, but I'd try First Edition. Phintias, the proprietor, may have an idea of where to locate those books. He caters to specialist collectors."

"First Edition, eh?" Eriama responded with a grin. I remembered Phintias. I almost got caught stealing from his bookstore a few years back. Chances were that if he recognized me, he wouldn't be pleased to see me again.

But it looks like I had no choice but to see him.

"C'mon," Eriama said, "I think it's high time we moved quickly. Bye, Tar-Meena."

"And thank you very much for your help," I added.

Tar-Meena gave us a toothy grin. "You're very welcome. Do let me know how the hunt for Mythic Dawn goes, will you?"

"Sure," I called back.

* * *

The Market District was unusually busy from when I recalled it and I had only been away from the Imperial City a few weeks. I was afraid there was a chance I'd bump into one of my old friends from the guild, or a guard who'd no doubt recognize me and cart me back to the Imperial Prison. But then I shrugged it off. Was there really any need to be afraid?

"Hey!"

"Is someone calling for you?" Eriama asked me.

I turned around and saw El-Leese, Hlavesa and a Khajiit male I had never met moving towards us.

"While you catch up with old friends, I have some business to attend to at Jensine's," Eriama whispered. "So while I'm off buying and selling, you take care of yourself and meet me at First Edition."

I took a deep breath, and watched helplessly as Eriama took off for one long row of shops before turning to face old friends.

"What the hell happened to you?" El-Leese demanded. "After the night we got arrested, we never heard back from you. Where in the world have you been?"

"Long story," I said dismissively. "I've been all over as soon as I escaped prison. Chorrol, Kvatch..."

"Kvatch!" Hlavesa cried. "By the Gods, what were you doing there?"

"Like I said, it's a very long story," I sighed.

"I wouldn't want to be there now, not after the Daedra destroyed the city," the Khajiit said. He looked at me and then said, "my name is J'Kasa, by the way."

"I'm Laura," I replied.

"J'Kasa has done a very good service to the guild," Hlavasa interjected. "Now Lex can't tax the citizens of the Waterfront."

"He tried?" I asked in surprise. El-Leese rolled her eyes and said, "Unfortunately. Now, enough about us. What in the world have you been doing?"

"You didn't hear?" I asked.

All three of them shook their heads.

"I'm one of the Heroines of Kvatch," I replied.

The three stood there in surprise before Eriama came back from the armory. She was heading towards First Edition, and glanced at me, giving me the indication I should be there by now.

"Well, it was nice seeing you again," I began, "but I have business to attend to here. So, I need to get going. See you all soon."

"Nice seeing you again too, Laura," Hlavesa returned.

"And next time, don't forget to let us know how you are after you suddenly escape prison," El-Leese chastised me. "Your guild family still cares about you, as does the Grey Fox."

I grinned. "I would have, but like I said it IS a long story. I'll remember to do so next time."

"It was nice meeting you, Laura," J'Kasa said.

I smiled. "You too, J'Kasa."

* * *

When I arrived at First Edition, Eriama was already there waiting for me. She was looking at the scrolls that Phintias sold along with books, some useful, most not.

Phintias was a Redguard who was unlike so many others of his race I encountered before. Most Redguards I knew weren't as pale, for starters. Nor as skinny. Phintias also held an air of superiority, and that wasn't surprising in the least after thinking about it. After all, Phinitias owned a _bookstore_. No doubt he was smart. He also seemed to know he was smart. He hadn't changed from when I encountered him previously, and back then his arrogance was appalling.

When I entered the bookstore, Phintias gave me a grin, knowing I was a potential customer. But I ignored him after a few moments glance and turned to Eriama. The long, black hair tied back with hair pins and Kvatch armor not unlike my own made her very easy to spot.

"By the Nine, where have you been?" Eriama whispered pointedly.

"That meeting took a bit longer than expected," I admitted.

"Well, now that you're here, I think we ought to get this over with," she snapped.

Phintias looked at us curiously. I sighed and the two of us went over to him. The shopkeeper seemed slightly irritated as it took as awhile to speak due to the nonverbal argument I had with Eriama as to who should do the talking. She didn't know I once tried to steal from Phintias.

In the end, it was me who had to talk to him.

"Hello, I was told that you could track down rare books so I came to ask for your help," I began, trying to keep my voice as polite as possible.

Phintias recognized me. I could tell. But he said nothing to give Eriama the indication that he recognized me.

"What is it you would need MY help with?" he asked with a smirk.

"I'm looking for the Mysterium Xarxes," I answered, still keeping my voice polite but glaring at him all the same.

"Ah! You must be referring to Mankar Camoran's _Commentaries on the Mysterium Xarxes_. A common mistake," Phintias told me in a very patronizing tone of voice. I still glared at him, taking great pains to try and intimidate him. Phintias didn't take me seriously, though.

"The first and second volumes are rare, but you MAY run across them from time to time. The third and fourth are _impossible_ to find," Phintias continued. He was probably wondering how in Oblivion a low-life thief such as myself knew about such books, let alone why I was looking for them.

"I need the last two," I told him. "Any idea where we might find them?"

"I've never even seen a copy of the forth volume," Phintias admitted, "but I DO have a copy of the third. But it's already been paid for. Special ordered by another customer. SO sorry I can't help you."

This time Eriama started talking.

"Listen, we really need that book-"

"Gwinas already paid two hundred Septims for it," Phintias said. "I'm not going to just turn my back on a valuable customer. Especially," Phintias was now looking at me, "since there are low-lifes around this city who loose me some pretty valuable cash because they try and steal my stock."

Eriama ignored Phintias's last few words.

"I'm willing to pay you double for it, and you'd be doing the empire a valuable service," Eriama insisted.

"Look, as tempting as that offer sounds, I don't just break my word," Phintias said, "but you could always wait for Gwinas. He'll be here any moment now..."

Obviously he wanted to get rid of us. So I gave him what he wanted and we went and sat over by the bookshelves.

"And just what the hell was that?" Eriama demanded.

"What the hell was what?" I asked innocently.

"The...whatever the hell it was between you and that arrogant shopkeeper?" Eriama said.

"Long story," I answered. It felt like everything was a long story today.

Just then, a young Bosmer wearing long red robes and his blond hair tied back came into the store. I took a wild guess at him being Gwinas. My suspicions were confirmed when I saw him buy the third copy of _Commentaries._

"Should we follow him?" I asked Eriama.

"Of course," Eriama said. "Otherwise we'll lose him - and along with it, the book."

The two of us left the store and saw Gwinas making was towards one of the other districts, but Eriama called out his name, stopping Gwinas in his tracks.

"You don't happen to be the one who bought the third volume of Mankar Cameron's _Commentaries,_ do you?" I asked.

Gwinas was clearly afraid of us, but he still glared at us. "I really don't see what business that is of yours, Imperial."

"I'd be willing to pay you double what you paid Phintias for it," Eriama began.

"No," Gwinas scowled. "I came all the way from Valenwood for this book. I'll be damned if I'm going to give it up now. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a hotel to check into."

The Bosmer began to walk away, but I grabbed ahold of his arm.

"Wait, what are you doing? If I have to I'll call the guards and have you arrested for harassment!"

"You are in way over your head," I said, my tone of voice coming out sharper than I intended. Gwinas was taken aback.

"Look," he said after I let go of his arm, "I paid good money for that book, and I don't want to sell it. I-"

"The Mythic Dawn murdered the Emperor, you blithering idiot!" Eriama snapped.

The blood drained from Gwinas's face quickly.

"I - please, you have the wrong man!" he cried.

"Don't lie, we SAW Phintias give you the book," I replied coldly.

"I..." Gwinas shifted his eyes away from us.

"They're the reason there's all the chaos in the empire right now, you know," I continued. "Give us the book and help end it all!"

Gwinas took the bag he was carrying with him and started looking through it furiously, before producing the book and a note.

"I...here, this is all I know!" he cried. "Take it! I want nothing more to do with it!"

"And the forth book?" Eriama demanded.

"You can get it only from a member. Now please, leave me alone!" Gwinas pleaded.

The Bosmer ran off without giving us a second look. I sighed and then noticed the time. We had to be back in the Elven Gardens district later tonight to meet Baurus. Before that, all we could really do was kill time.

* * *

"The sewers, eh?" Baurus began after I handed him the note later that night at Luther's. "I know that place well and if two of us go together, I'm sure we can get the forth book and put an end to this."

"Better make that Laura," Eriama said at once.

"Why?" I demanded. "Not that I have a problem doing this, but..."

"I made a commitment to Jensine," Eriama answered. "Something about Thoronir. I'll see you two later."

After Eriama left our table, Baurus and I soon got up and left the inn, and he showed me a shortcut into the sewers.

It was a long trek through the sewers, and the mudcrabs and rats along the way made it take even longer, but we eventually made it.

"OK, you stay here and watch my back while I meet the sponsor," Baurus began after we reached the stairs that would take us the meeting place.

I thought I would agree to it, but then I suddenly changed my mind.

"No, I'll meet the sponsor," I said.

"I owe the Emperor," Baurus insisted. "I think it'll be best if I meet the sponsor."

"I owe the Emperor, too," I countered.

Baurus sighed.

"Fine, we'll do it your way," he said. "But you have to promise me that whatever happens...you'll get the book and stop the invasion."

"I shall make no such promise," I replied, my voice a little dry. I HATED promises. "But I'll do the best I can."

"That's good enough for me," Baurus said before laughing.

* * *

As soon as Baurus was safely out of sight, I went down the stone steps and sat down. The Sponsor didn't waste any time coming out of the gate on the left, and began talking.

"So!" he cried. "You want to become one of Mehrunes Dagon's chosen. The Enlightenment is difficult, but the rewards are great. _I_ have the book you seek. With it and the Master's three other books, you will possess the key to enlightenment!"

When I was sure the sponsor wasn't looking, I glanced at Baurus. He seemed to be alright, so I turned back to the sponsor.

"But do you have the wit and the strength to use the key you have been given?"

The sponsor was now looking directly at me.

"If so, I will see you at Dagon's shrine. Yes, I do think you are what we seek..."

All of a sudden, two more members of the Mythic Dawn came into the room, and they saw Baurus.

"I told you to come ALONE," the sponsor seethed. "Brothers! Kill them!"

I panicked and grabbed the chair I had been sitting on and hit the two other Mythic Dawn members, knocking them to the floor. The Sponsor, however, was still standing. I unsheathed my sword and stabbed his stomach. Blood oozed his already red robes, and then began spilling on the floor.

"Search his body for the book before that gets ruined," Baurus instructed me. I was going to do that anyway.

The book was on the pockets of his robes, and the book only had a small splatter of blood on the outside cover.

"We have it," I said, before sighing in relief.

"We should go back to Luther's," Baurus said, "it's been a long night and I'm sure we could all do with some rest. I need to get back to Cloud Ruler tomorrow. My place is at the heir's side.

"What's he like, anyway?" Baurus asked when we started leaving the sewers.

"Martin?"

What could I possibly say that could describe Martin Septim?

"Do you think he would make a good emperor?" Baurus asked again.

I sighed before saying, "it's not really my place to say."

In truth, I thought Martin would be a wonderful emperor.

* * *

"Green Emperor Way where Tower Touches midday Sun," Eriama read from the books early the next morning.

Baurus was just about to take off for Cloud Ruler Temple, but said his goodbyes and wished us luck first.

"And when you get back, I'll teach you a few moves," he promised me.

"Say hello to Martin and Jauffre for me," I cried after him as he walked out the door.

When he left, Eriama sighed and turned her attention back to the books lying across the table. Luther glanced at us curiously.

"That means it's somewhere in the Palace District where we should look. And just to think I'd had enough of that place after last night..."

Eriama's voice trailed off.

"It's settled," I said. "We'll go after we eat."

* * *

"It's a cave the wilderness near Cheydinhal, if the map is correct," I told Eriama, who was glancing back and forth between our map and the map on the stone temple.

"Damn! I thought I could avoid going there, too," Eriama cried.

I glanced at her curiously.

"I really do not care to discuss that, either," Eriama said quickly.

I rolled my eyes. Eriama didn't want to discuss anything with me, it seemed.

"Do we go today?" I asked.

"After we get our things from Luther's, then yes, I think that would be wise," Eriama said. "But only one of us can go into the shrine. The other will watch from the shadows. Since you were the one who met the sponsor, I think you should talk with them."

"I'm no good at these things, Eriama," I insisted. "I would blow our cover."

"Only if you don't listen to what I tell you," Eriama snapped. "You do want to get the Amulet back, correct? If you do, you'll listen to everything I tell you."

I sighed and the two of us headed back for the Elven Gardens district.


	10. Chapter nine: Dagon's Shrine

**Chapter nine: Dagon's Shrine.**

The trip to Cheydinhal only took a couple of hours, but then we had to go off the path near the stables and then after a few more moments of traveling, we found the cave.

Eriama was the one who lead us there, and I followed her. After all, she seemed to be the one who knew what to do for most of our journey. Trusting her now seemed to be the smartest thing to do.

I had no doubt that the cave before us was Dagon's Shrine. There was a tapestry with a sun like design hanging on the left side.

Eriama started rummaging through her rucksack and then put on a ring. Afterwards, I thought she disappeared until I saw her figure faintly.

"I'm not completely invisible," Eriama explained when I asked. "But I should be able to watch your back without being noticed. Just don't glance behind you too much. Otherwise these murdering bastards will know something's up."

"Got it," I said.

"Just go in as you are," Eriama continued.

When I went in, I felt the cool, damp air around me and it was a wonder I didn't get sick. There was an Imperial clothed in burgundy robes and he gave me a curious glance. I coughed and approached him.

"Dawn is Breaking," he greeted me.

"Greet the new Day," I replied quickly. Maybe a bit too quickly was what I was thinking, but the Imperial didn't seem to notice or care.

"You may enter the shrine," he told me, "Harrow will see you. Welcome, sister."

"Why, thank you."

I suddenly felt as if my voice came out rather sarcastic.

I entered the shrine, and even if no one else noticed, I heard the faint sound of Eriama's footsteps behind me.

A Dunmer who I guessed had to be Harrow approached me.

"Welcome, Sister," he said, "you're just in time to see Mankar Cameron himself give his speech. But first, I want to begin.

"Lord Dagon will see to all our needs, so those possessions of yours are no longer necessary," Harrow continued, eyeing my clothing and rucksack.

I smiled weakly as he handed me the red robes that every Mythic Dawn member was sporting. I gave Harrow a look, and took that as cue to leave me to change clothing. I did that, then stuffed my armour into my bag, and handed to Harrow.

"That's better, now if could follow me," he said, giving me a grin.

I followed him into the shrine, and saw Mankar Camoran himself at the altar, looking down at the Mythic Dawn members. The looked at him as if he was some sort of god himself.

It was disgusting.

Though I looked at Cameron, and listened to his great speech. He mentioned the fall of our already crumbling empire, Dagon taking the throne, his paradise. I didn't catch his exact words, though. I noticed something else about him.

He was wearing the Amulet of Kings.

There was also a very unusual book in front of him. I would have to find a way to get both.

Then, Camoran disappeared. And he took the Amulet with him.

* * *

"Sister, what's wrong?" asked an Altmer who I later learnt was Ruma Camoran, Mankar Camoran's daughter and the person who insisted I pass my initiation.

I had done initiations before. I had to steal a jeweled amulet from the Talos Plaza District in the Imperial City to get into the Thieves Guild.

But this was different.

"Here," Ruma said after awhile, handing me a silver dagger, "Lord Dagon requires a blood sacrifice. Kill him."

The 'him' Ruma was referring to was an Argonian who already had his eyes closed so I was unsure if he was actually alive until I saw him breathing.

"If you must kill me, please get it over with," he begged.

I said nothing.

"What is the matter, Sister?" Ruma called as the other Mythic Dawn members gave me curious looks.

"Nothing!" I cried. "I'm just making sure this filthy Argonian keeps his trap shut."

In the corner of my eye, I saw Eriama trying to grab the book off the alter. The thought that she could get caught filled me with anxiety.

But then I heard a small 'clink' sounding on the stone floor.

Eriama was no longer cameleoned. She was in fact, perfectly visible. The book that she was holding was clutched in her hand.

"You traitorous bitch!" I heard someone cry out. More than likely this was directed at me.

Eriama grinned.

"You say that Lord Dagon only needs a blood sacrifice? Well, I'd be only too happy to oblige."

Eriama then shot an arrow in Harrow's direction, and the arrow pierced his left eye. He screamed out in pain before falling to the floor, dropping my rucksack. I muttered a spell and the bag zoomed in my direction.

"Hey, Laura!" Eriama cried, "catch!"

She threw the book she was holding towards me, and I quickly shoved it into my backpack.

"Please, help me," The Argonian begged. He wasn't wearing anything but a loincloth. I sighed before instructing him to stay hidden.

"You won't get away with this!" Ruma screeched and pulled out a staff. She however, shot it in the wrong direction. Eriama then went up behind her and pulled out her dagger, holding it against Ruma Camoran's throat.

"Yes, Ruma Camoran," Eriama said, grinning in an almost evil way, "I do think I will."

And then blood splattered all over Ruma's robes. Ruma's body then dropped to the floor, too lifeless to move.

* * *

After Eriama and I cleared the cave of the remaining Mythic Dawn members, we escaped with the Argonian sacrifice, who we learnt was named Jeelius.

"Thank you for saving me," Jeelius said as soon as we got back on the path near Cheydinhal. "I will never forget it. Come visit me in the Imperial City one day and I'm sure I can find a way of repaying you both."

"You don't need to do that!" I cried. "I'm just trying to do the right thing."

Jeelius gave me a toothy grin.

"Not even Restoration training?"

Eriama gave me a look.

"I'm going to, if you don't mind, Jeelius," she said. She gave me a look and I gave in to letting Jeelius train me if we go back to the Imperial City. He said we were to find him in the Temple District.

Then, after we explained we were going to Bruma, he wished us the best and we went our separate ways.

* * *

"You're back!" Jauffre cried out as soon as we climbed the long staircase up to the temple. "Thank Talos for that."

"It's good to see you too, Grandmaster," I said, smiling. But we didn't come back with the Amulet.

"That look on your face, Laura," Jauffre began. "You have bad news. Spit it out."

"We didn't recover the Amulet, Jauffre," I replied grimly.

"What?" Jauffre demanded. "By the Gods', what happened?"

"Camoran took it to his Paradise," Eriama spat, "his own personal realm of Oblivion. But we did manage to recover this book called the Mysterium Xarxes. Laura has it."

Jauffre groaned before turning to me.

"You had better take that book to Martin, as much as I want to destroy that evil book and its contents right away. He might know what to do."

Because of how busy I was over the past few days, I had barely taken the time to think about Martin since I had left. But now that I was back, I wanted to talk to him as soon as I could.

"Laura, I think you ought to talk to Martin anyway," Jauffre continued. "He's barely taken the time to sleep since you left."

"What?" I cried. "Barely taken the time to sleep?"

"Just GO, Laura!" Eriama snapped.

* * *

I entered Cloud Ruler Temple's great hall to find Martin sitting at a small table, reading. Though he quickly looked up at me when he saw me enter.

"Ah, you're back," Martin greeted, his face giving me the impression he was somewhat happy and relieved to see me back. "I told Jauffre not to worry."

He told Jauffre not to worry when he had been worrying himself.

"I trust you bring good news?"

I shook my head. "I did not recover the Amulet, Martin."

Martin sighed.

"Though I did bring back this book-"

Before I could continue with my sentence, Martin reached out to grab the Mysterium Xarxes out of my hands. Our fingers brushed before I eventually let go and let him have it. His touch, no matter how brief it was, felt strangely pleasant.

"By the Nine, such a thing is dangerous even to handle!" he cried. I was surprised the book was _that _dangerous.

"Forgive me," he said after he looked at me again. "You were right to bring it here but I think you had better leave it with me. I know some ways to protect myself from its evil power."

"I certainly hope so," I admonished him. "I wouldn't want you to get hurt."

"I won't," Martin promised. "And as soon as I know something, I'll get back to you. But I think Jauffre would like to speak to you and Eriama about spies in Bruma."

"OK then," I replied with a grin.

I was about to leave but then I remembered something.

"Oh, Martin?"

"Yes?"

"Make sure you get food and rest in between studying that piece of work," I told him pointedly. "You're going to need it."


	11. Chapter ten: Confessions

**Ahem *points to rating.* Not that I think that matters, because I took a certain bit out and...**

**Oh, just read!**

**Also, I'm doing a spin off. It's called "And There Were Four." You have probably seen a couple of familiar faces from this story already. :)**

* * *

**Chapter ten: Confessions.**

Two days after we solved the case of spies in Bruma, Martin had found out the first object we would need to unlock the gate to Paradise.

"We'll need a Daedric artifact," Martin told both Eriama and I. "There are plenty of Daedric shrines where you can summon a Daedric Lord in Cyrodiil. I think Azura's shrine is nearby, in fact."

Summon a Daedric Lord? That was no problem, I suppose. In the end, Eriama and I split up looking for them and I had to wonder the wilderness on my own. Traveling, I found Sheogorath's Shrine and Sanguine's shrine. Sheogorath's task wasn't too hard, just to stir things up at a little settlement called Border Watch. I felt sorry for the residents after I left, but even I had to admit that the K'Shara prophesy was ridiculously funny. Afterwards, Sheogorath gave me the Wabbajack, and said he hoped to hear something from me soon.

Sanguine wanted me to wreck havoc in Leyawiin by ruining the Countess's dinner party. I managed to cast the spell that unclothed everyone in the room (including myself) and slip out unnoticed, as had been a specialty of mine for several years.

When I arrived back, Eriama seemed to have three daedric artifacts already. Azura's Star, Savior's Hide and the Skeleton Key.

"I thought we ought to wait for you before we give one of these to Martin," Eriama said. "For all we know, some of these could come in handy."

I nodded, not really listening to her.

Martin, after listening to my tales of how I obtained Wabbajack, was surprised to see Sanguine's Rose after I got that from my rucksack.

"I can only imagine what you went through to obtain that, Laura," he began.

"I had to declothe Countess Alessia Caro and her dinner guests and then slip out unnoticed, while unclothed myself," I told him with a laugh. "Luckily, it wasn't too bad."

Martin chuckled before taking the staff out of my hands.

"I never thought to see this again - I once possessed this briefly...a lifetime ago it seems," Martin said quietly.

Eriama was sitting across the hall from us and she and Martin exchanged glances with her a second before he continued.

"To obtain it and then give it up...I honor your dedication to our cause, Laura. I think I shall use this for the ritual. The world could do better without the Sanguine Rose causing trouble."

Eriama looked at us, and then I glanced at Martin.

"What do you mean you possessed the Sanguine Rose?" I demanded.

He looked up at me again.

"I'll tell you about it later," Martin replied, a small amount of nervousness in his voice.

He did tell me about it later.

Martin and I were up late again, but this time he was sitting at his study area and I was sitting across from him as he told me about his past dealings with Sanguine and how it ended up getting several of his friends killed, including Eriama's brother.

"But after it happened, I rushed to the chapel of Akatosh and begged forgiveness," Martin concluded.

"Well, I was a thief when I was younger living in the Imperial City," I said, "but compared to the lives you and Eriama have lived, mine has been completely boring. Up until recently that is."

"Don't wish for more excitement, Laura," Martin warned. "You have enough as it is anyway."

"I do now," I countered. I then felt Martin's hand in my hair.

"Besides, I have a very important task that needs doing. I'd hate to ask you, but..."

"Out with it," I insisted. I folded my arms across my chest and I thought I saw his eyes twinkle in amusement.

"I need you to go to Sancre Tor," Martin said, and then sighed. "I figured out the next thing we'll need is the Blood of a Divine; the counterpart to a daedric artifact. Jauffre suggested the Armour of Tiber Septim. But it'll be dangerous. No one has visited the shrine in years. Jauffre will have the key for you tomorrow."

"Nothing I can't handle," I smiled at Martin. He smiled back, but I could tell he was trying to hide his own anxiousness.

The next day, Jauffre supplied me with a key, and told me he feared he was sending me to my death before marking the location of Sancre Tor on my map.

"I wish I could go with you," Eriama told me after I had packed my rucksack with things. "But Jauffre gave me an assignment that could possibly mean my death."

"What?" I demanded.

Eriama gave me a grim smile. "Isn't it obvious?"

"No," I snapped.

"There's an Oblivion gate right outside of Bruma. Jauffre would like me to show Burd and the rest of the guard how to close it."

"I wish I could go with you, too," I said at once.

I was about to leave the Temple but before I stepped out the door I heard Eriama's voice call out to me.

"Yes?"

"Martin's in love with you, you know."

I sighed, mostly because I didn't know how to respond to Eriama's sudden words that caught me totally off guard.

"Don't be ridiculous, Eriama. He's a priest and will soon be Emperor of all Tamriel. What could he possibly want to do with a low-life thief like me?"

"Let me see...you've saved his life on more than one occasion, you defended him against my constant bitchiness and you continue to sacrifice your life for him. No, seriously," Eriama continued, frustrated. "He is quite in love with you. Even if you can't see it, everyone else can. Oh, look! You're blushing! Maybe you like him too, like I suggested to you ages ago?"

I didn't reply, I just ran from Cloud Ruler Temple and down the road as soon as I could.

Not even the cold, mountain air could hide how hot my face was.

And I knew why I was blushing.

Because what Eriama was saying was most likely true. At least in my case.

* * *

The door to Sancre Tor was locked. Sealed. That was no problem for me. Jauffre had given me the key after all. I unlocked the door and went into the remains of what had once probably been a great palace for past Emperors. There were plenty of undead in the halls of Sancre Tor, and I was only too happy to oblige in sending them back where ever they belonged. I soon thought about Hulfgar, and he once mentioned a place called Sovngarde, and how he would occasionally tell me, Fennia and his own daughter Haema stories based around Nord customs if we were all behaving. Despite my Imperial heritage, there was something about the stories Hulfgar told that interested me. Especially the tale of Dragonborn. But I put my memories out of my mind when another ghost cornered me.

Then, after killing more of the undead, there was a skeleton wearing ancient Blade armor and it looked considerably tougher than most other skeletons I had faced before. Still, knocking it down was no problem. I watched in pleasure as the bones rolled to the floor.

Then, I stood still on the spot as a ghost of a former blade emerged and told me about the curse that had befallen Sancre Tor. He also instructed me to "free his brothers."

I did just that, but one of his brothers struck my left shoulder with an enchanted blade, leaving a rather nasty wound that I tried to stich up, but it was dark in Sancre Tor's halls, and I could tell I failed. But the wound was worth it, because after I freed the four Blades and lifted the curse of Sancre Tor, I retrieved Tiber Septim's armor, before leaving. I made a mental note never to return.

* * *

The wound on my left shoulder began to hurt even more and the pain was terrible by the time I reached Cloud Ruler Temple later that night. After I placed the armor on the table in front of Martin, he noticed the bleeding through my circass and insisted he do it properly. I relented and took off my armor, leaving me wearing just simple clothing. Martin told me off severely while stitching me up, my back turned to him as he did so.

"Why didn't you take the healing potions I gave you?" he demanded.

"I did," I told him, "but I dropped them on the road while on the way to Sancre Tor."

I wasn't lying. Me, being the klutz I can be sometimes, tripped over some rocks and dropped my bag. I lost only my healing potions.

Martin shook his head.

"What am I to do with you, Laura?"

I grinned, despite the small twinge of pain I felt from being stitched up.

"What do you want me to do, Your Highness?"

Martin sighed and shook his head again, but this time I thought I saw him smirk. I could have been wrong, however.

"I've told you before; I'm not Emperor yet. And even when I am I'd prefer if you just call me Martin. Now, turn around. I need to get the rest of the damage on your shoulder."

I turned to face Martin and he was stitching up the remaining damage on my shoulder.

"Eriama told me you loved me today," I blurted. Martin looked up for a moment.

"She did, did she?"

"Yes," I replied, and shook it off with a nervous laugh. I suddenly expected Martin to burst out laughing, and cry out "that's ridiculous!" or something else to brush it off and we'd forget about this awkward moment we were currently in.

"Well, what if she's right?" Martin suddenly asked me.

I raised my eyebrow.

"What in Oblivion do you mean?"

"Eriama's right for a change," Martin began. "I DO love you."

I looked up to face Martin and made eye contact with him before looking away.

"Well, it's good to know that you love me now. But what will you do after the Oblivion Crisis is over?" I demanded. "I'm sure once this is all over you'll forget about me and go on with your royal duties."

"NO! Of course I won't forget you! You saved my life, Laura. I can never forget that."

By this time, Martin had finished stitching my shoulder and was now using a healing spell. His fingers felt pleasant on my body and I felt a sudden tingle run down my spine.

"The scar will probably always be there," Martin told me, anger in his voice. "Damn Dagon and Camoran for starting this."

"Martin," I began, "if this Oblivion Crisis hadn't started, we wouldn't have met."

I felt him pull me to him and he kissed me on the forehead, before his lips slowly descended to my cheeks and then my lips. It was probably supposed to be a second long kiss, but it was I who threw all caution into the wind and kissed him back.

It occurred to me then that my kiss with Martin was my first kiss.

I felt myself being pulled closer, and I felt Martin kiss my neck before he pushed me away.

"No..."

"What is it?" I demanded. "What's wrong?"

"I don't think it's in anyway wise or proper for this to continue," Martin whispered.

I sighed.

"Well, to be fair, you are a priest," I began. "I didn't think you'd want to have anything to do with me like that because of your beliefs."

"Wait, Laura...what did you say?"

I laughed.

"I love and care for you as well, Martin."

I'm not sure who started the kissing this time, but either way, we kissed again. And this time, Martin eventually carried me to his bedroom. I felt myself be put down onto the soft covers of Martin's bed and then, he was eventually covering me.

"But...I thought you were a priest-"

Martin placed a finger on my lips.

"Hush. Tonight, I think we can forget that, can't we?"

* * *

**I so wanted to do an actual lemon but I'm too scared to do that. I did write it, however. XD**


End file.
